Offerings to the Forest God
by lossehelin
Summary: The deity of the forest was said to be a beautiful dragon that was gentle and caring. To a young girl not of their village, he was an idea that guided her through the worst days of her grief and became a cornerstone of her life. She would soon discover that not all deities were gentle, and that the consequences of cruelty spread like a disease.
1. The Great Deity of the Forest

I wasn't going to post this story until after I had finished Castle Ruins, but I've been having such a hard time lately that I thought posting this might motivate me a little. I've had so many plot bunnies attack me in the last couple of years that I'm finding it hard to stay focused on one story. Please be reassured, however, that this story is completely finished, so there will be no fear of it stalling like my others have. It's a short story as well, and may be different than my others in that sense. I think I will post each chapter every two weeks. As always, I try to stay true to the characters I have borrowed, but as a warning, Kaoru is slightly OOC in this story. Please enjoy, and I hope that you like this gentle story as much as I liked writing it.

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing that is related to Rurouni Kenshin. I am simply driven by the wonderful daydreams that blossom within my mind.

 **Chapter 1: The Great Deity of the Forest**

The rosy blush of the setting sun over the top of the deep forest burned the sky into beautiful colors of red and orange. As sapphire eyes stared up at the majestic scene, the girl they belonged to tried to ignore the noise behind her. If she thought too much about what was happening, she would be tempted to fall into the drowning emotions of sorrow and despair that she had pushed into the back of her heart. That was not what her father would have wanted for her, and she had no desire to show her weaknesses to the strangers surrounding her. Instead she studied the foreign landscape that was to be her new home, and wondered if she would be able to find happiness there. For surely, it felt as if she would never be happy again.

"How do you like our forest, Kaoru-chan?" An old, gentle voice spoke up from behind the young girl, but she didn't jump at the intrusion and only shrugged her shoulders indifferently at the question.

"It's nice."

The old woman nodded and stood next to her quietly to stare at the scenery as well. She had a pleasant face that Kaoru thought spoke of kindness, but she was too emotionally raw to react to anything with her normal enthusiasm and hope. Everything felt different now that her father was gone, and her young world had been darkened by her grief for his passing. Midnight dark hair slid over Kaoru's shoulder as she ducked her chin into her chest to hide her trembling, full lips, and she clenched her thick lashes together to stall the return of her tears.

A male voice back inside of the house continued to bark orders at the helpers that were carrying in all of the belongings that had once been a part of her home. All of those precious possessions now belonged to her Grandfather Kihei, and she knew that he had no desire to keep any of them. For the entire long carriage ride from her home town in the west to her grandfather's home in the east he had informed her that she should not expect to keep anything that had once been her father's. He had not the room nor felt any sentimental attachment for them. Instead, they would be sold in order to compensate him for his trouble of taking her in.

He was too old, he had informed her, to be taking care of a child, and he had not the patience to handle any disrespect or dishonor that she might bring to his name as a troublesome girl. Kaoru was to be quiet while under his roof, and cause no mischief or disturbances within the town. If she was to be seen it would only be by his order, and if she disobeyed him then he would punish her appropriately. Once she was of age, he would find her a suitable husband that would compensate him for the years of care that she still required. " _Do not mistake me for your father, girl. I can already tell he didn't discipline you properly."_

The tears were threatening to fall when a warm hand touched her briefly on the shoulder and she shrunk slightly away. Bitterness washed through her, and she longed for her home and the love of her father who had indulged her. "Did you know, Kaoru-chan, that there is a great deity living within our forest who protects us?" Long lashes lifted to stare into the trees, but she had barely registered the words from the old woman or the tears that dripped down her rounded cheeks. "He is a powerful and loving deity who tends to the earth and guides the spirits of the foliage and animals. Tatsuyoshi is what we call him, for the forest Tatsuyoshi-mori. It means 'forest of the beautiful dragon.' Did you have a guardian deity where you came from?" The mysteriousness of the woman's suggestion was finally sinking in, and despite herself, Kaoru's bitterness lightened and her eyes became curious of the shadows under the lush trees.

Kaoru looked up at the old woman again, but this time her mind was momentarily clear of the spiraling darkness of grief. She had heard myths and legends about the spirits and deities, but they had not lived near one. Filled with cautious awe and wonder, she shook her head slowly.

The kindly old woman smiled. "Would you like to visit the shrine with me? We can bring an offering to him and ask that he bless your arrival and watch over you while you live here." The smile softened, and she wiped at Kaoru's tears. "He is a very gentle deity, Kaoru-chan. If you ask, I am sure he will guide your father's passing as well."

Kaoru's lips trembled on a watery smile as the bitterness completely faded, and she hugged the old woman as she gasped. "Will you please take me there? I want to pray for Father."

X

A soft, melodic tune hummed against Kaoru's throat as she walked slowly along the well-worn path from her grandfather's house to the shrine that was deep within the forest. Four summers had passed since her arrival and although she still missed her father and their home, she had found a degree of happiness. As long as she did her chores, stayed out of trouble and stayed out of her grandfather's sight, she was mostly left to her own devices. The townsfolk were all nice to her, as well, but then there were very few bitter people that lived within the great Forest Deity's realm.

Large sapphire eyes shone from out of her now womanly features. Time had matured her into a maiden of nearly seventeen, and although she was past the age of marrying, her grandfather had yet to find a man that was willing to pay what he thought owed to him for her hand. For that Kaoru was grateful as she had no desire to marry, but she also feared the kind of man that would be willing to pay for their bride at all. Already she knew that none of the families in the town would agree to her grandfather's conditions, although many of them liked her and expressed an interest in marrying her to their sons. Many of them were even pleasant young men, but Kaoru could not say she was grieved by their unwillingness to pay either.

The basket in Kaoru's hand became slightly heavy, and she switched it to the other as she trekked deeper into the trees. Spears of golden sunlight warmed the cool woods and lit the flowers that bloomed along the side of her trail. Joyful singing tweeted and chirped from the birds up in the branches, and the day seemed as if it would be a perfect one. Smiling and letting the atmosphere sweep her up in it, Kaoru did a smooth twirl as she walked and giggled as the weight of the basket led her through it. Kaoru loved the forest the best, and she spent much of her time wandering around it. Not once had she caught sight of the Forest Deity, and while this had annoyed her as a child, she had grown to respect and understand his desire for privacy and anonymity. There had once been a time when she had questioned whether he was even real, but that time had been short, for Kaoru witnessed his benevolence almost every day.

During her first few months within her grandfather's house she had taken to running to the shrine whenever scolded or dealing with her grief. As instructed by the old woman, she had never left for the shrine without an offering for the deity, which the old woman had supplied to her from the kitchen whenever she had asked. At the base of the altar steps she had sat in tears or grief-stricken contemplation as she waited for the benevolent being to take away the pain she felt. No being had ever personally done so, and it had taken Kaoru weeks to realize that the small birds that danced at her feet and sang for her or the out-of-season flowers that brightened her path were gifts sent from the Deity to cheer her dark mood. The knowledge had warmed her, because she had realized that she was not so alone in this foreign place.

The small blessings had earned the Deity her devotion, and she had taken to visiting the shrine daily to repay his acknowledgement of her offerings. Her grandfather never forbid her from going, as even he understood that respect was owed to the deity that kept their crops lush and their water pure. When no rebuke had hit her ears due to the amount of time she spent in the forest, Kaoru had started to linger longer and longer. As time passed, she even began to take over the duties that were rotated amongst the townspeople to tend to the shrine. Now, she was the unofficial shrine maiden and tended to the grounds every day. The townsfolk enjoyed the arrangement as it left them free to tend to their own responsibilities, and Kaoru loved it because she got to spend all of her time away from her grandfather. Sometimes she suspected that her grandfather was also pleased with the arrangement because he did not have to worry about her pestering him or getting herself into any trouble.

The early morning smells of the forest still clung to the rich chill of night and cool dirt. Moisture from the dew was only just beginning to combine into a sheen of dampness along the leaves and flower petals, but it was the scent of heavier water that touched her nostrils and alerted her to the lake up ahead. The path she walked led her by the edge of the lake, and she anticipated the sun's light shining along its reflective surface. Briefly a frown touched her mouth and creased her brow. Yesterday she had noticed another aroma on the air: one of disease and decay. It was still present today. Though she had searched the day before, she had been unable to find the origin of the scent, and instead had offered a prayer to the Deity hoping that it was not something that would damage the forest. Kaoru's frown turned determined. She would find it today. After all, it wasn't fair to rely on the Deity to do everything, especially if it was something that a human was responsible for.

First she would set out the offerings for the Deity and then finish her chores at the shrine. Then she would search. Kaoru's smile returned and the basket swung once more by her side. The Deity did so much for them that it was pleasing to be able to do something to ease his responsibilities.

The bend in the path up ahead would take her by the lake and she grinned as she turned her head and slowed to take in one of her favorite sights. It was a large body of water, and so serene and picturesque. This morning, however, there was something different about it. The trees were blooming when they should not have been. _Did I do something to please the Forest Deity?_ Pleasantly surprised, Kaoru skipped forward and giggled as the blossoms danced in the wind and showered her with petals. A half turn into her twirl, however, and she realized that she was not alone in the woods. For a moment her heart stopped, but any fear she felt was quickly proven to be groundless as the strange man did not move or react to her presence.

He was seated on the large flat rock that she sometimes rested upon on her way home in the evenings. All that she could see was the straight line of the back of his kimono and the long unbound hair that hung down his back. The rock was shaded, and in the shadows she thought that perhaps his hair was a medium brown. His clothing was not extravagant, but he was dressed as if he were performing some kind of ritual or ceremony. She had never seen him around before, and she was abruptly curious about why he was there. As her eyes studied him, the trees rippled with the wind and light danced across the katana resting perpendicular on his crossed legs.

 _He's a samurai!_ Excited, Kaoru instantly imagined his reasons for being there. Of course he had to be training. The forest was a sacred place, and Kaoru had heard the stories of others traveling many miles just to cleanse their spirit there. That would explain his fancy clothing and focused state. _I shouldn't disturb him if he's meditating._ Suddenly conscious of her movements, she bit her lip and tried to tip-toe away. Of course she made more noise now than before, but when she glanced over her shoulder he neither moved nor complained.

Once Kaoru had climbed the steps to the shrine she washed her hands and mouth in the purification font and then hefted her basket to approach the shrine. Respectfully she retrieved each of the offerings to the deity from her basket and placed them upon the ceremonial dishware that the old woman had supplied to her. The dishes from the day before were collected and carefully wrapped inside the basket for later cleaning. They were each empty of the previous day's offerings, and Kaoru smiled and was pleased that he had accepted them. As still a bitter child she had reasoned that it was merely the animals that had eaten the food, but now as a faithful adult she realized that it didn't matter. The animals were a part of the forest that the deity ruled over, and if he allowed the animals to eat his offerings then he had good reason to let them.

The shrine duties were started once she was finished praying, and as the sun crept high into the sky Kaoru sat within the shade of a large tree and ate her own box lunch. As per usual it was good, and Kaoru savored the food as the manual labor had woken her hunger. Halfway through the meal, however, and her mind wandered back to the samurai sitting beside the lake. How long would he sit there meditating, she wondered. She had heard stories of samurai meditating for days. Kaoru envied his dedication as she knew she would never be able to go that long without a meal. Sapphire eyes glanced down at the food in her lap and her lips pursed. _I can't just let him go hungry._

Carefully the rest of the meal was covered, and she stood to brush off the back of her red hakama. _I have to go back towards the lake to start my search anyway._ Pleased with the excuse, Kaoru headed back towards the small set of steps to the shrine, turned to bow her respect, and then made her way down the trail. The basket was left near the entrance as she would return for it later in the day after she had completed her search. What she was going to do when she actually found the source of the disturbing scent had not yet entered her mind.

When the blossoming trees were once more within her sight she realized that their poignant scent overrode the disease and decay. Another frown touched her forehead, but she couldn't figure out why the deity would supply such a masking for the scent in just this one spot. Narrowed sapphire eyes swung about suspiciously, but her happy heart instantly locked back on the wandering samurai and realized that the deity was only being courteous to his guest. _I guess they weren't meant for me after all._ An easy smile lit her face as she felt not one touch of jealousy, but instead realized her own arrogance in assuming that they were for her at all. He was a deity of all within his realm, after all, not just her. He tended to all within his reach.

The samurai was still seated in the same position she had last seen him in, and she carefully stepped over the branches and roots between them to his side. There was a smaller rock next to the one he was seated on, and she gently settled her half-finished box lunch on top of it. As before, he didn't move, and she curiously glanced up at his face to see what he looked like. His features were almost delicate, except for his firm mouth and a deep red scar in the shape of a large X etched into the perfect skin of his left cheek. With the sun shining directly upon him she was surprised to realize that his brown hair was actually a very stunning red, as were the lashes feathering his high cheekbones. Kaoru blinked incredulously and felt herself blush. He had a very ethereal feel about him, and he seemed almost too beautiful to be human. Before the blush could burn brighter she was immediately distracted by the strange way his hands were positioned.

When she had first caught sight of him she had assumed that he was meditating. However, his hands were not placed in the usual way she had been shown. Instead, his hands were held in a sign of warding as if he were fighting off something evil. An unsure look touched Kaoru's features and she stood straight to back away. Was he warding against something outside of him, or something inside of him? _Whatever it is, I hope he wins._

 _I shall ask the deity to assist him._ Both hands came together in front of her and she bowed towards the man seated upon her favorite rock. _Great deity of the forest, please watch over this man and assist him in his battles in whatever way you are able. Please help him to find peace in his heart and soul._ Both eyes were still closed when she felt the wind stir around her, and she smiled as she recognized the Deity's acceptance of her prayer. He didn't always grant the prayers offered to him, but he always listened.

When Kaoru's blue eyes blinked back open her heart stopped for the second time that day. The man had finally moved and she found herself staring into his curious violet eyes as he looked back at her over his shoulder. There was a soft expression on his face and a light smile pulling at his lips that deepened and warmed his eyes when she blushed. Though she could tell he was amused by her innocence, she couldn't help but duck her head in embarrassment and clasp her hands together in front of her shyly. When she had steeled her nerves enough to glance up at him she returned the smile, and she could tell that he was pleased to have the expression reciprocated. Apparently placated or reassured, he turned his head back towards the lake and closed his eyes to resume his concentration.

For Kaoru, the unexpected encounter made her feel giddy, and she set out upon her task with a light heart and a happy spring in her step. It wasn't until she was well away from the spot, though, that she remembered that she was looking for something important. The scent of decay helped to remind her, and she slowed her step to take more care in her search. It was mid-afternoon when she realized that she had circled the spot where the aroma was strongest several times but was still unable to pinpoint where the stench was coming from. Standing on the bank of the lake and staring back towards the woods she frowned and crossed her arms. It had to be somewhere close to her position, and yet it was neither up above her nor anywhere below.

The wind shifted to blow over the lake behind her, and the stench strengthened sickeningly. Abrupt coughing tried to dislodge the horrible smell, and she held a hand over her mouth and nose as she turned towards the water. Across the lightly rippling surface was a small island and just within sight of the foliage was a large, dead animal. There was something wrong with it, however, and even from a distance Kaoru could tell that it had not died a natural death. There was still too much meat on its carcass. Surely the crows would have picked it clean by now. Thankfully the wind shifted again, and Kaoru lowered her arms in defeat. The island was too far out for her to swim to, and even if she did make it she could not return with it. If she were to contaminate the water source then the entire town would suffer. Of course, she couldn't just leave it there for fear of the same reason.

As she stared in disheartened dismay at the dead animal a small spark ignited the rotting foliage that surrounded it. Both of Kaoru's shoulders dropped in surprise as the spark turned to a flame and the flame attempted to eat at the carcass. _The Deity is taking care of it!_ For a moment she pouted as her wish to help him was taken away from her, but she knew that he would do a better job than she. This was his forest, after all. Unfortunately the diseased animal did not wish to burn easily, and the smoke was black and smelled awful when the wind blew her way. Willing the fire to catch and destroy the contamination trying to taint this holy place, Kaoru clenched her fists and stood rooted to the spot for hours. Nothing stirred from the island, as all life had already previously fled, and instead the world was eerily quiet as the deity worked to purify his home. When the fire finally did take, it was nearly dark.

The time came to her with a start, and Kaoru jerked as if to take off running. Briefly she spared once last glance towards the island, but the fire had finally engulfed the dead animal. Relieved, Kaoru let herself worry for herself and the scolding she would receive from her grandfather for being late to supper. No doubt she would be sent to bed without anything to eat, but the obaasan would sneak her something after her grandfather retired.

Cutting through the trees, Kaoru stopped by the shrine to retrieve her basket and then hurried down the short set of steps towards home. Her heart did a strange flip as she realized that she would have to stop and gather the box she had left with the samurai, and her breath was suddenly hard to catch. For some reason he made her feel different than the boys in town did, but it was a feeling that she enjoyed very much and wished to continue experiencing. _I hope he was able to take a moment to eat._

As before, he was still seated unmoving, but he did not react to her presence as she retrieved the box lunch she had left. A quick peek inside revealed that he had indeed accepted her show of kindness, and she grinned happily as she bowed respectfully to him and whispered a quiet good evening before taking off once more.

In the distance behind her a red glow lit the sky and burned all through the night.

X

A/N: As you have no doubt noticed, these chapters will be short as well. For this story, I wanted it to feel more like a folktale. I hope I pull it off, even if only a little. Please leave a review and tell me if you like it. Thanks so much for your patience with me. Have a blessed day.


	2. Benevolent Gratitude

Thanks for all the wonderful support! I hope you will continue to enjoy as the story progresses!

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, that they are not.

 **Chapter 2: Benevolent Gratitude**

Hurried steps bounded into the kitchen following breakfast and the old woman smiled in amusement at Kaoru's enthusiasm. "What has you all excited this morning? After that scolding last night, I expected you to be in a more somber mood."

A full blown smile lit every inch of Kaoru's face, and she pointed up towards the sky. "Did you not see the light last night, Obaasan? The Forest Deity has been hard at work. How can I mope when I know that he is doing all that he can to make our home beautiful?"

"Oh? I thought there was a fire in the forest. You can still see the smoke this morning. Are you sure it is the Forest Deity? The men have been worried."

"It's still burning?" Kaoru peeked through the door and studied the black smoke that was rising into the air. "It must be more difficult to get rid of than I thought. Obaasan, can you please give me extra offerings for the Deity today? He has been working all night trying to rid the forest of a rotting disease that was brought in by some strange animal I've never seen before. I want to make sure he has the strength to finish without overextending himself, especially since it's so near the lake."

The worried expression on the old woman's face changed into concern for their guardian deity. "Of course, Kaoru-chan, but why don't you ask the rest of the townsfolk for some offerings as well. I'm sure they would be more than happy to support the Deity's efforts."

"I will!" Joy filled Kaoru's heart as she accepted the basket, and then her thoughts returned to the lone samurai. Her mouth opened to ask for a lunch box for him as well, but something inside of her didn't wish to share him with anyone. A wise voice in her head even whispered that she might not be allowed to return to the forest if her grandfather found out that she was in contact with some wandering vagabond. After all, she wasn't even certain that he would still be there. "Oh Obaasan, would it be okay if I had a meat bun to go with my lunch box? Just this once?"

Surprise made the old woman blink, but she reacted with much less suspicion and more encouragement than Kaoru thought she would. "You certainly may have a meat bun whenever you like, Kaoru-chan. I've always thought you never eat enough for all the work you do."

"You're so nice to me, Obaasan." A quick hug enveloped the old woman, and then Kaoru left to make the rounds to the other houses near to them. The townsfolk regularly made offerings for Kaoru to either take to the shrine for them or that they hand delivered themselves throughout the day. Today, with Kaoru's explanation of the fire, they offered much more than normal, and Kaoru left for the shrine with a much heavier basket and an excited air. This would surely help the Deity, even if she had been unable to take care of the taint herself.

The red hair of the samurai was visible through the blossoming trees as Kaoru hiked the trail towards the shrine, and she smiled in strange relief to see that he was still there. Quietly she fished out the box lunch that was to be hers and placed it next to him on the smaller rock. Today he would have the entire lunch for himself, and she would satisfy her hunger with the large meat bun that the old woman had allowed her to have. Satisfied, Kaoru continued up to the shrine to offer the multitude of prayers from the townspeople and start her chores.

Off towards the lake the fire still burned, and when she checked on it after mid-day she found that the entire island had been purified by flame. Thankfully none of the taint had found its way into the water as Kaoru did not see any dead fish. She hoped this meant that the Deity's work was finished and that he could rest. The old woman had warned her that the deities did not have a limitless amount of power to draw from. They could tire just as a human could and fall ill, although their illnesses were far different than a human's and required a much different remedy to cure.

It was nearly evening again when Kaoru returned to the shrine to retrieve her basket, and she blinked to find that all of the offerings had been accepted in her absence. The Deity hardly ever accepted the offerings before the end of the day, but it seemed that today had been one of the exceptions. Perhaps he had needed the energy in order to heal the diseased island. Kaoru was suddenly very glad that she had asked for the extra offerings.

Fading light lit the path back to the town, and as had become her custom, Kaoru picked the broken or wilting wildflowers that were growing along the trail. She never touched the healthy flowers, as they needed to live in order to produce more. Depending on how many she had when she made it home, she would either keep them in the small vase she had in her room or return with the extras the next day to decorate the shrine. _Perhaps the samurai will enjoy one._ A blush colored her nose just thinking of the bold gesture, and a happy nervousness twisted inside of her chest.

The rock next to the lake was bare when she arrived, however, and Kaoru's heart sank even as she smiled wistfully at the empty spot. The box lunch that she had left was all that was waiting for her return and she carefully gathered the dirty dish and tucked it into her basket with the rest. A sigh issued from her nose as she leaned into the rock and she stared out across the lake without truly seeing. Where had he come from, she wondered, and where had he gone to? It was rare for another to share her time in the forest, and she had felt calmed by his presence and pleased by his enjoyment of the forest's atmosphere. _He was so mysterious and beautiful. Maybe he is a priest that has been exposed to the power of the deities for so long that he has absorbed some of their radiance, or perhaps he is a spirit of one of the trees. Perhaps… perhaps…_

Sapphire eyes widened as a thought she had failed to acknowledge hitched her breath, and one hand went to her heart. _Surely he wasn't…_

"This one is most grateful for your kindness, Kaoru-chan."

A squeak echoed in the still evening air, and Kaoru spun to find the samurai standing behind her on the other side of the rock. A contrite expression crunched his beautiful features, and he held out an upturned hand in an open gesture of peace. "Forgive me. This one did not mean to startle you."

A shaky breath pulled into Kaoru's lungs and she looked the samurai up and down in one quick glance. He wasn't much taller than her, but there was a presence about him that hadn't been there before, since he was no longer focused on something outside of their encounter. It spoke of power and serenity, and she felt her rapid heartbeat slow in response to just knowing that with him she was safe. It still took a couple of tries before she was able to find her voice, though. "I-it's alright." She chewed her lip, and then stood up from her unconsciously hunched position of defense. "I thought you had left."

Amusement once again touched his face and eyes, and he folded his arms up inside his long sleeves. "This one is never very far." Violet eyes glanced down at the basket, and he smiled at the flowers piled atop the dirty dishes. "The food was very good. Did you make it?" His head tilted in question, and Kaoru reluctantly shook hers. Briefly she realized that it would have been nice if he had praised something she had cooked.

"Obaasan cooks the meals." Now that they were speaking, Kaoru's nervousness shook in her voice. "Were the box lunches enough? You were sitting there for two days."

A crease finally marred his expression. "There was plenty. As always. Today you were especially generous." He bowed and Kaoru's cheeks flamed red. "You have taken very good care of me."

"I-it was nothing." Kaoru's head ducked and she looked away in embarrassment. "I'm glad… that I was helpful."

His smile was once more warm and affectionate, but his eyes were lifted towards the darkening sky instead of focused on her. "It is getting late, Kaoru-chan. This one shall escort you home tonight as a way to repay your kindness."

"That's not necessary, these woods are very safe." The denial drifted off and her brow line drew together. "How do you know my name?"

"But this one heard you trip on your way home last night." Concern colored his voice and he turned to heft the basket she had settled on the ground in one hand. "This one was worried you had been hurt, but he could not break his concentration otherwise the taint would have spread."

It was suddenly hard to breathe again, and Kaoru's heart slammed harshly against her chest as she stared at the man in front of her. Their strange conversation was starting to make sense in a very different way, and the thought he had previously interrupted came back to widen her eyes. "H-how do you know my name?" The repeated question was a pointed, shaky whisper, and his otherworldly eyes drooped as if saddened.

"It would be rather terrible of me if this one did not know the name of the maiden who tends his shrine."

Another squeak rubbed at her throat and for a moment she panicked. "Tatsuyoshi-dono!" Then she remembered herself and slammed to her knees to prostrate herself on the ground at his feet. "Forgive me! I did not know it was you!"

The deity sighed despondently. "This one suspected you did not." The words were a little sad, but a moment later he chuckled. "Who did you think that this one was? This one was quite surprised to hear your prayer asking him to watch over himself." The amusement in his voice sounded as if he were laughing at her, and an embarrassed part of her didn't feel like admitting that she had romanticized him as a wandering samurai.

"Well I don't know. You didn't introduce yourself." Petulance weaved through her words and she pouted at the ground as his chuckles continued. "I suppose you shouldn't have to. You are the deity of this forest."

"No, you are quite right, Kaoru-chan, and this one apologizes. This one was simply not expecting a meeting with you. Otherwise, this one would have made certain that he was able to greet you properly." Carefully he knelt on the ground in front of her, and she sat back hesitantly but kept her head bowed. The basket was settled between them and he gently fingered the petals of a dying flower. Life surged back into its drooping form, and Kaoru smiled happily. "It pleases me, that it does." His voice had strangely softened, and Kaoru peeked upwards through her lashes curiously.

"What pleases you, Kami-dono?"

His violet eyes lifted, and they locked unabashedly with hers. "That you can see me."

Kaoru frowned and her head tilted upwards as she forgot her shyness. "Y-you are not letting me see you?"

"Not at all." The three words were joyful, which she found odd, and her frown turned serious as she contemplated what that meant. Before she could question him further, though, he stood with the basket once more clasped in hand and offered her the other. "Now you must let me escort you home, Kaoru-chan. It is getting late, and though these woods are safe, you must not remain here at night."

Kaoru cautiously placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her up. "What happens at night?"

"The spirit realm is closer to the human realm at night. You could wander into it without knowing and become lost. It would grieve me if that were to happen to you."

"Oh." She followed him the few steps back to the path as she thought over his concerns, but shook her head once the familiar trail was under her feet. "But it's still light out, and I walk this path every day. There's no need for you to trouble yourself, and you should be resting after all your hard work." Both hands tugged at the basket he held, but he merely smiled and pulled it out of her reach.

"Do not be silly, Kaoru-chan. This one walks with you every day." Speechless, she let him lead her towards town. "The fact that you can see me tonight means that we may converse. This one has wished to speak with you many times in the past. He is pleased that tonight we may."

The guardian deity asked her many questions as they walked along the path, and the amount of detail that he knew about her life made her self-conscious. At the same time, he felt like an old friend she had not seen in years that merely wished to catch up on their lost time. Almost as if he was from that time before her father had passed. Kaoru answered his questions truthfully, and willingly filled in all of the information that he wished to know of her. She herself had only one question on her mind as they slowly made their way back towards town. When they were close to her home she blurted it out for fear of never being able to ask again. "Why can I see you now when I couldn't before?" More importantly. "Will I still be able to see you tomorrow?"

A kind smile pulled his mouth upwards, and he looked away from her to stare at the border where forest met civilization. "There have been many instances when humans were able to briefly see my kind, but they usually happen around dusk and during the night. As for why, like this one already explained, it is because the spirit realm is closest at night."

"But I saw you at midday."

"Precisely." Again he smiled with warmth in his eyes and voice, and he handed her the basket before placing a hand gently between her shoulder blades. "From now on, you will always be able to see me. Unless…" He trailed off, and the word had sounded grim.

"Unless what?"

The hand at her back pushed her forward. "Let us not speak of such an unpleasant scenario. Now you must return home, Kaoru-chan. Goodnight."

She stumbled slightly forward, but twisted at the last moment. "Then I _will_ see you tomorrow?"

"Do you not believe this one?" His chuckles made her blush, but she pouted stubbornly.

"Just because I can doesn't mean I will, right?"

The amusement lightening his face tapered off, and he studied her seriously before nodding his head. "Kaoru-chan, would you mind assisting this one tomorrow? It will be easier to purify the island with your help."

"Really?" A breathless sensation constricted her chest, and her sapphire eyes lit up at the thought of being able to help him in any way.

The chuckles returned. "Yes."

"I would love to!"


	3. Shikigami

It has been such a hard week (starting last week) that I decided something better needed to happen to hopefully give it some closure. So, please accept this new chapter a little early. :) And, Kaoru is just a little strange, being able to see a hidden deity. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope.

 **Chapter 3: Shikigami**

The blackened island sat out in the middle of the lake looking like a scar on the beautiful blue surface, and Kaoru frowned. She was feeling a little uncertain about how she was supposedly going to help the Forest Deity purify the disease that had settled into the dirt when she wasn't a true shrine maiden. He had assured her that she would do fine, and that it was of the utmost importance for her to assist him. She suspected that he could have completed the task alone. After all, it wasn't as if he had been counting on her being able to see him two days before. In fact, he had been just as surprised as she about the fact. Which meant he was merely humoring her.

Timidly Kaoru glanced at the deity beside her to judge his motives. He had met her that morning along the path to the shrine, and with him he had brought a surprise. Several blue butterflies had emerged from their cocoons during the night and had just gained enough strength to take flight. As if perfectly timed, she had stopped upon the path at the sight of him and they had risen up in one wave of color to flutter around her and tickle her face. He had remained within the small grove of trees off the path with a smile closing his eyes and amusement rumbling his throat. Kaoru wasn't certain if it was his doing or merely coincidence, but as they had walked to the shrine together she had learned that it was more than likely the former.

Birds followed him with happy melodies and flowers blossomed from the ground where ever the long sleeves of his kimono touched. The night before he had suggested that he walked with her every day without her knowing, and she now knew that statement to be true. It was no wonder the path to and from the shrine was littered with multitudes of flowers, and she blushed to realize that they had indeed been all for her. _He answered Obaasan's prayer when I first came to live here. He has watched over me with all the care of a benevolent deity, even though I was not born in his realm._

"Is something troubling you, Kaoru-chan?" The question briefly startled her, but she shook her head quickly in order to reassure the curious probing in his purple irises. "You have seemed distracted this morning."

"I-I'm sorry, Tatsuyoshi-dono. I'm just not used to seeing you, that's all." It was strange to her for him to be a tangible being that she could see and touch after she had spent the last four years thinking of him as something that encompassed the entire forest and was at once everywhere and nowhere. Obaasan had told her that the deities were known to take forms that allowed them to walk amongst the world, but they were not bound to one plane as humans were. They interacted with their world and watched over it, but they were not truly of it. "I don't really know how I should act. I hope I haven't offended you."

"This one does not require that you act in any special way around him, Kaoru-chan." There was something quite sad about his features even though he continued to smile at her. "This one is only a servant of this forest, nothing more. Please act as you always have. This one enjoys your presence here."

"But you're wrong! You are the guardian deity of this forest, not a servant!" Kaoru reacted with such fervor to deny his degrading claim that his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I know I haven't lived here for very long, but the first thing that Obaasan ever said to me was praise for you! You are revered by those under your care, and have earned the love and respect of all the townspeople! When I first came here I was so lonely, but… the forest welcomed me willingly, and I know it's because you are just as Obaasan said: a gentle and loving deity."

Her own boldness abruptly embarrassed her and her cheeks darkened, but her eyes were stubbornly locked upon his own as she willed him to believe her. The arch of his scarlet brow lowered slowly, and his own gaze shifted away from her to look out across the lake. At first she thought he would disagree with her, but the slant of his lip caught her off guard. "How pathetic this one must seem to be scolded by his own shrine maiden."

The reminder of her station made her knees buckle, but his hand caught her at her elbow before she could drop into a bow and apologize for being impudent. "This one only meant that he would prefer if you acted as your personality drives you, but… it seems that there was no need for me to worry. If you are comfortable enough to shout at me, then this one is most pleased."

"I'm so sorry." Mortified, Kaoru hunched her shoulders. "I got carried away. It's just that… your demeanor is much different than I imagined. The way you speak is so humble and you have much to be proud of."

"Would you prefer an arrogant deity?" He laughed at the way her face twisted as she tried to imagine that, and then walked forward to place a hand on a boat she had not noticed before. "This one knows many deities that are arrogant and selfish, but such airs do no suit this one, that they do not. This one prefers to be loved than to be feared." Deliberately his free hand extended towards her, and he smiled as he waited for her to accept his assistance in climbing into the boat. His claim warmed her, and she was indeed glad that he was a humble deity rather than an arrogant one. Why else would their home be so beautiful?

 _I wish Father was still alive to live here and enjoy this place with me._

The small boat moved of its own volition across the water, and Kaoru blinked incredulously down into the clear lake in search of something she could not see. The amusement on the Kami's face was ever present as he watched her from the other side of the boat, and she wondered if she had always amused him, even before she had been able to see him. Slowly she blinked as she thought on the situation, and then dipped her hand in the water.

"Why haven't you shown yourself to me before?" Sapphire eyes glanced over at him, but his expression remained unchanged from his ever present smile. "You said that it pleased you that I could see you. Why not just show yourself to me if that's the case?"

"This one is pleased that you can see him without me showing you." Patiently he corrected her, and she frowned thoughtfully.

"There's a difference?"

"Very much so." The strange luminescence of his eyes briefly broke away from hers as if to hide a private thought, and then he smiled at her once again. "This one is also pleased that you have always felt welcomed while within these woods. He has wanted for you to feel as if this is a home you can love as much as the one you shared with your father."

"Oh." The wonder of her company abruptly dimmed as she was reminded of the differences of her childhood home and this home that she knew would only be temporary. Once her grandfather found someone to marry her off to she would not get to stay, and she had guarded her heart knowing that. Also, while she had not felt exactly lonely while living there due to the Forest Deity and Obaasan, she had felt homesick for those things that she knew she could never experience again. She was not a child anymore, and her father was long gone.

Gently the boat hit land on the small island, but the deity restrained her from stepping foot onto the burnt ground until he made sure that it was safe. From the security of the wooden vessel, Kaoru watched as the kami stooped next to the burnt carcass and studied its strange form. It was no animal that she had ever seen before. The shape of it appeared to be that of an immense bird, but it had a strangely human-like head. Something unsettling stirred the air around it and soured her stomach. Whatever it was it wasn't natural, and for the first time she saw the Forest Deity frown in a serious manner.

"What is it?"

A breath pulled into his nose and his aura lightened as he remembered her presence. "An onmoraki, but it has no cause to be here. This one knows of no one who has recently died."

Kaoru thought on the stories Obaasan had told to her and she too frowned. This being was a demon created from the spirits of freshly dead corpses. Not only was it out of place in a forest where no death had been caused, but… "What killed it and how?"

The Deity's eyes had drifted away from the carcass and Kaoru went very still when his hand wrapped around the katana at his waist. Up unto that point she had ignored the blade as only a part of his overwhelming appearance as a god. Now it was clear that it was not just for show. The sharp sword pulled free with a soft hiss and his feet slid forward in two deliberate steps before he swung in a perfect, smooth swish that was too fast for her to follow. Seemingly out of nowhere, a piece of folded paper fluttered to the ground in two even pieces and shriveled into blackened charcoal.

"It waited for our arrival." The observation was not pleased, and both of Kaoru's hands gripped the edge of the boat in trepidation. The deity's soft tenor voice had darkened into a low baritone, and the transition had been noticeable. Violet eyes turned on her, and she chewed her lip as she waited for him to say something else. The aura of their guardian deity had shifted into something foreign and unnerving as if he were the omnipotent being he was supposed to be. The fire of his hair shimmered as if they were really flames and he was nearly blinding to look upon in his suddenly regal attire. After a few silent moments he smiled once more and sheathed his katana. The breathtaking image faded and her muscles relaxed. "It is safe now, Kaoru-chan. Let us purify the island so that life can once more return to it."

It required most of their morning to finish the purification, and when Kaoru climbed back into the boat she realized that she was tired. Even though all she had done was follow the Deity's direction, she had performed a ritual that true shrine maidens were expected to perform alone. Not to mention she had only assisted her deity, and still she had used more spiritual energy than she ever had in her life. Kaoru had a new respect for those who helped their guardian deities in more than just cleaning and offering prayers.

The further they drifted from the island, however, the more Kaoru knew that her fatigue was worth it. Already she could see sprouts of green amongst the black, and she smiled as she leaned her temple into the lip of the boat and let the sway from the water rock her into a state of detachment. _Thank you, Tatsuyoshi-dono, for allowing me to assist you._

"Kaoru-chan?"

Kaoru jerked and shot straight up to full attention. "Yes?"

Red eyebrows lifted at her abrupt return of enthusiasm and then lowered. "This one was merely worried, but you seem to be fine." He smiled. "Thank _you_ for your assistance. This one is very grateful, that he is."

As they mounted the steps up to the shrine Kaoru rubbed a hand over her growling stomach. She was really looking forward to her box lunch today as she felt even more worn out than if she had merely performed her regular duties at the shrine. _Maybe I should have asked Obaasan for another one of those meat buns. I feel like I could eat five box lunches!_

The offerings to the Forest Deity were already situated in their normal place as Kaoru had insisted that she at least perform that one small duty before taking off for the island early that morning. As Kaoru dug into the basket for her own lunch, she watched in interest as the kami strolled over to the altar and examined what she suspected was going to be his meal. It was strange to witness, and even a little embarrassing as she hoped that he wouldn't be disappointed in his choices.

Slowly Kaoru transitioned from her bent position next to the basket to the root she usually sat upon underneath a large tree within the shrine grounds. As if mesmerized, she continued to watch as the kami picked up a small plate with a single rice ball. He then turned toward her with his ever present smile and began walking over. Once his back was turned a multitude of forest spirits descended upon the offerings and carried them away to no doubt consume, and Kaoru half stood with an indistinct noise of shock and indignity.

"What is the matter, Kaoru-chan?" Seemingly unaware, the Deity tilted his head at her in mock innocence.

"Is that all you're going to eat?!" Briefly her eyes tore from his to look around his shoulder. "And is that who eats the offerings every day?!"

"This will be more than plenty for this one. Anyway, there are more of them than there are of me." Once he was in front of her his eyes blinked and his smile softened. "It would please me if we could share this meal. Sometimes… it is lonely eating by myself."

Sapphire eyes widened before she quickly stood and bowed, and she wondered why it sounded like he was asking. "I would be honored to share a meal with you." _But is that really all he's going to eat?_ Kaoru glanced down at her still unopened lunch box and her stomach clenched. He had done more than she purifying that island, though, and so she held up the box between them. "You can have half of my lunch, if you want."

The soft smile on his face warmed happily. "You are truly generous, Kaoru-chan, but that will not be necessary. This one will share half of his lunch with you." Before a confused frown could crease her brow he had settled the small platter with his rice ball on top of her box lunch. A second later he grabbed the edge of her dish and jerked it from her hand to send both her lunch and his crashing towards the ground. A wail of distress tore from her throat before she could stop herself, and she thought she might cry to see her carefully prepared meal smashed in the dirt.

"Did this one startle you?" His free hand had wrapped around her fingers in concern, and she blinked open her eyes to see his anxious features close to her own. When she glanced towards the ground, however, she found not her food spoiled and crushed, but a blanket spread out over the swept dirt with a large meal perfectly spaced upon its surface.

"What happened?" Her body relaxed, and she stared at the meal in disbelief.

"You offered to share a meal with this one. Did this one mistake your meaning?" He wasn't surprised by the sight at all, and was instead confused by her reaction, as if food just appeared out of nowhere all of the time.

"No, it's just… what did you do?"

"This one is sharing a meal with you." The explanation was stated in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he had no need to explain himself any further. "Please eat as much as you like, Kaoru-chan." He seated himself on one side of the blanket and indicated that she was to sit on the other. "You expended more energy than you are used to and need to replenish with a proper meal."

"Oh." Kaoru sat in dumbstruck awe and blinked across at the man seated opposite her. Except he wasn't really a man, and she was seriously starting to wonder if the food was really food.

"This one is quite impressed, in all honesty, Kaoru-chan. It is not an easy thing to utilize one's own energy, especially on the first try. Many people train for years, but you seem to have a natural talent for it."

The claim perked her up, and she stopped with her hand hovering over the chopsticks neatly sit out for her use. "Do you think so?"

"There is little doubt. If this is the first time you have witnessed the forest sprites, then that means you did not see them yesterday, correct?" Kaoru shook her head. "Then that means your awareness is sharpening at a very high rate. It is no wonder you were able to perform the purification ritual so easily." His voice was kind, but Kaoru couldn't help but notice a small wrinkle between his brows. A hard swallow steeled her nerves and she picked up her chopsticks.

"I did not see the being at the island either until after you had… eliminated it." She glanced up to see his reaction to the change in subject, and then selected a piece of food that had not been a part of either of their original meals. "What was that thing?"

"A shikigami." His allowance of the conversation relieved her anxiety, but his voice was no longer quite as pleasant.

"Oh. Then… that skikigami killed the onmoraki?"

"That is what this one believes as well." The low declaration made Kaoru nervous again, but a moment later the smile returned to his face and he waved his chopsticks. "Please eat, Kaoru-chan. This one can hear your stomach growling from here." Mortified, Kaoru blushed and took her first bite of the meal. Blue eyes widened as the wonderful taste flooded her mouth, and she could feel the energy returning to her limbs and awakening her mind.

"Wow! This is good!" A couple more bites were stuffed into her mouth, and she blushed when he started to laugh.

"This one is glad." Iridescent violet eyes watched the girl eat without shame, and his heart warmed. Like a bad stain, however, thoughts of the shikigami darkened his enjoyment and brought a frown back to his features. _It was not acting on its own. Another was controlling it… but for what reason? And why did it wait around for this one to arrive?_ He continued to watch Kaoru, and something cold settled into the pit of his stomach. _Or was it waiting for_ _ **us**_ _?_

X

A/N: I'm very glad that this story is being accepted so nicely. I really enjoyed writing this gentle story. It was a nice change of pace. I hope it will continue to please you all with its warm love story. Thank you so much for reading, and I truly enjoy reading everyone's reviews. Christmas is next week, so perhaps I will have a present for everyone. :)


	4. Shrine Maiden

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has fun, safe plans for New Years. Please accept this humble gift from me to you. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Japanese folklore, but I might end up twisting it up a little bit. Sorry in advance.

 **Chapter 4: Shrine Maiden**

The following weeks passed pleasantly for Kaoru as she completed her duties as a shrine maiden and interacted with her deity on a daily basis. He met her on the path to the shrine almost every morning, they ate lunch together every day, and he always walked her home in the evenings. When she wasn't performing her regular duties at the shrine, he was teaching her through trial and example how to control and utilize her spiritual energy. Kaoru wasn't one to brag, but she thought she was catching on rather quickly. The Deity seemed pleased, anyhow, with how well she was doing, and more often than not he would share his meal with her to assist with replenishing her spiritual energy.

Kaoru had learned over time that the food the Deity supplied by taking one offering and turning it into a buffet was not just a trick, but food he actually brought from the spiritual realm into their realm. The Deity had reassured her that this food was able to supply spiritual energy in much larger quantities than regular human food could and was better for her after she had expended a large amount of effort. Since she was human, however, it was not recommended that she only eat spiritual food. Her body also needed the nutrients provided by human food, and so he always reminded her to eat plenty when she went home in the evenings.

The fact that she could see the Kami was not something she had shared with anyone; not even with Obaasan. Though she tried to justify her silence by telling herself that the Deity preferred his privacy, she knew the truth was that she just did not want others to know. He was her secret, and she treasured their interactions in a place locked deep within her heart. To share any of that with someone outside of their private world was a little frightening, as if he would be snatched away from her just as her father had been.

He was so very kind to her, and was always pleased to see her. It was not a lonely or desperate pleasure for her company, either, but instead a very comfortable happiness because they were able to interact. Kaoru reveled in his attention, although not openly, and she was always careful about how she reacted to his praise or gifts. Both were given in abundance, and she stored each with great care whether in her heart or hidden within her room. When she was married to whatever stranger her grandfather deemed appropriate, she wanted to be able to keep those treasures close to remind her of this special place and the wonderful being that cared for it.

There were so many things about the forest that she had never known that he shared with her as well. Such as secret places hidden deep within the woods, or the names of the sprites that assisted him. Kaoru had come to love the forest after moving there, but the more time she spent with the guardian deity the more she grew to cherish everything about his realm. Despite herself she was losing all of her heart to it, and knew the pain was going to be far worse than ever before when she was forced to finally leave it.

The inward sight of sapphire eyes finally focused outward, and she glanced down at the hand wrapped gently around her fingers. Apparently Kaoru was prone to tripping while she walked, and so the Deity had taken her hand in his one evening to make sure she did not get hurt in such a way. His hand was large and warm, and in some ways it made Kaoru feel like a child being led by a responsible adult. Blue eyes lifted to study the side of his face and a light blush darkened her nose. In other ways, it was decidedly different. The action always seemed so natural when he took her hand, and it hurt that secret place buried deep in her heart.

The Deity's head turned to connect his strangely shifting irises of violet with hers, and he smiled. "You have seem preoccupied, Kaoru-chan. Are you worried?"

Kaoru swallowed her selfish thoughts down, and nodded as he brought up the problems that were outside of her heart and mind. There had been four more strange occurrences since the dead onmoraki, and each one had been accompanied by a waiting shikigami. Kaoru could tell that it was upsetting the Kami, but whatever his thoughts were on the matter, he never shared them with her. She helped him purify the area and clean up the messes, but he always deterred her from theorizing with him on what was going on and why it appeared that the forest was being targeted. Only one comment he had made to her had suggested his anxiety, and it was his request that she never stray from the path to the shrine unless he was with her. At least until after he had figured out what was going on.

When Kaoru had questioned the old woman at her home, Obaasan had willingly explained that shikigami were usually summoned and controlled by people known as Onmyoji. These Onmyoji were humans that possessed powers that were close to that of a yokai. Which meant that more than likely an Onmyoji was sending these shikigami into the forest and causing trouble on purpose. For what reason, Kaoru didn't know, and that was the part she was pretty sure the Deity was keeping from her.

"Nothing irreparable has been done. You shouldn't worry." A nod accepted his vague reassurance, simply because she knew that was all she would get. What did she know about the spirit realm, though? She would just have to trust that he would find the Onmyoji, or whatever the source of the disturbances was, and correct it before anything truly bad happened.

 _You shouldn't worry either, Tatsuyoshi-dono. I believe you will take care of this forest, just as you always have._ His gaze lingered on her for a few moments longer, and his smile lessened to an almost regretful expression.

Once they could see her house his fingers released hers, and she bid him a goodnight before stepping out of the trees and to the engawa closest to the kitchens. She never looked back, because she trusted that she would get to see him again the next day. If, for some reason, she did not get to see him, she did not want her final memory to be of the distance that was between them.

Obaasan was just finishing supper when she entered through the back shoji, and she smiled when the old woman shooed her off to clean up before the meal. Her grandfather never liked it when she came to the table looking like a filthy heathen with leaves sticking from her hair and dirt smeared on her cheeks. For some reason he did not like the traditional outfit of the shrine maiden that she wore, either.

Kaoru ate the meal in silence, as her grandfather preferred, with one hand tucked inside her sleeve and running over the beautiful blue stone the Kami had given to her that morning. It was shaped like a dragon, and she intently rubbed her thumb against the point of its nose over and over again. He had appeared expectantly pleased while presenting it to her, and she wondered why he had sounded almost shy when he had explained how it had reminded him of her.

"I will be leaving in the morning to go to Suzu-machi." The gruff announcement made Kaoru jump and she looked up quickly, but her grandfather never looked at her unless he was displeased. "I will be gone a little over a week, but that doesn't mean you will have free reign to do what you please."

"Yes, Grandfather." A bud of excitement pierced her chest, and she bit her lip to stall her smile. One entire week without her grandfather meant seven days without having to worry about getting scowled or yelled at for any little thing that irritated him.

"A representative of the Oshiro family will be returning with me. You will be on your best behavior and impress him by keeping your mouth shut."

A frown puckered her brow, but she didn't argue. "Yes, Grandfather."

"If all goes well, you will be marrying the youngest Oshiro son and I will finally have my house back and some peace of mind." A grumble of displeasure rubbed at his throat as he spoke of his least favorite topic; which was the fact that he had been forced to let her stay in one of the extra rooms in his house. "Apparently he is a troublesome wretch, and they are willing to pay my price just to see him wed. You should thank me, girl. Their family has money, so you should be well taken care of."

The excitement in Kaoru's chest seized and she stared at her food without seeing anything. All thoughts fled her mind, and equal parts despair and desperation tore at her insides.

"Well?!"

"Y-yes, Grandfather. Thank you." The despair won, and her shoulders slumped. Inside her sleeve the little blue stone bit deeply into her palm as she squeezed her fingers around it tightly. The source of comfort was all that kept her from crying in front of the man adjacent to her.

X

Something was out of place in his forest, and the guardian deity frowned from his perch atop the shrine at its center. The sensation crawled across his skin and curled his lip in disgust. It felt dead, or rotted, but also very sly. He was unable to pinpoint exactly where or what it was despite its blatant presence, though. Other things were interfering with him and making it difficult. Other spirits that were not meant to be there were finding their way into his home without invitation. They were perverse and twisted creatures that fed off of misery and death, and he could feel their malcontent towards his rich and lively home. The sprites were less than happy with the intrusion, just as he was.

"What are you after?" The whispered words disturbed the already unsettled night air, and the Deity shifted his position to look off to his left. Though the spirit realm was closer to the human realm during the night, as he had told Kaoru, he had erected a barrier over his forest that denied the spirit realm unrestricted access. It was not a perfect barrier, as some things could not be controlled, but no one should have been able to intentionally open a doorway. Doorways had undoubtedly been opened, and what was worse, they were shifting locations without any set pattern for him to follow.

His forest was growing dangerous, and fear was unbalancing his normal calm. But it was a fear only of his own reaction if any harm were to come to his shrine maiden.

X

It was early afternoon before Kaoru finally stepped off the back porch of her grandfather's house and towards the forest. That morning she had been expected to see her grandfather off on his trip and wish him well. The words had never felt as sour on her tongue as they had then, and she had never wished so hard in her life that nothing went well for him. Kaoru had never prayed for something bad to happen to anyone, and she had no plans to start, but a part of her never wanted her grandfather to return. Another part of her knew that if she were to pray for such an awful thing to the beautiful guardian deity of their forest, he would be disappointed and she would be miserable in the absence of his praise and kind regard. Still another part of her did not ever want the man who walked with her every day and smiled at her so sweetly to know that she was being married off, even unwillingly.

The basket in her hand was a dead weight on her arm, and she stared at the ground under her feet instead of at her surroundings as she normally would have. If she had, she would have noticed how dark the forest became the deeper she walked into it, and how empty the branches were of life.

"Kao-ru-chaan!"

The sing-song voice brought her from her quiet contemplations, and blue eyes looked up as her feet slowed to a stop in the middle of the path. There was no one near her, and the voice had not belonged to the Kami.

"Hello?"

"Kao-ru-chaan!" Her head turned to the left to follow the source of the voice, and out of the corner of her eye she caught movement. It disappeared before she could focus on it. "This way!" Again she jerked her head to the right, and thought she saw something small duck behind a tree. A moment later a little face appeared around the other side and giggles tinkled the air. "Come on, Kaoru-chan! The Deity is waiting!"

"Who are you?" A tentative step placed her halfway off of the path, and her hand gripped the handle of her basket tight between her fingers.

"Let's play, Kaoru-chan!" It turned and started running off into the forest, and its happy little voice echoed back. It appeared to be a small child, but its short legs were quick. "Catch me and I'll grant your wish!"

Three more steps placed her between the trunks of the trees and the small creature hid behind a bush. "I-I haven't wished for anything!"

"Of course you have!" It giggled again, and then stepped fully out in the open to show Kaoru its wider than normal grin and sharp little teeth. "You want to stay here forever! If you can keep up with me, I'll make sure you never leave!"

Indecisively, Kaoru put down her basket and started walking deeper into the trees. When the creature took off again, she started to jog. A fierce feeling in her heart didn't care what the creature truly meant by never leaving. She simply wanted to believe that it would grant her wish and let her stay in that forest with her beautiful deity. Hard teeth bit down on her bottom lip as the weight of the small blue stone she had tucked away inside of her white kimono thumped against her ribs, and Kaoru started to sprint.

On the other side of the forest the Deity froze in place and ignored the jorogumo that had spun its web in his trees and spit at him from the branches in anger. His head tilted to one side and his hand slowly slid the blade of his katana free of its sheath in preparation. Kaoru's spiritual pressure had just disappeared.

Someone was asking him to end their life, and as a benevolent deity he planned to grant their request.

x

A/N: Though this may be going in a different direction than most expect, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing I have brought some enjoyment to others. Thank you for reading!


	5. Onmyoji

Disclaimer: I told you, didn't I?

 **Chapter 5: Onmyoji**

The long sleeves of her white kimono covered Kaoru's knees as she wrapped her arms around her red hakama and scowled from the corner of her cell. The little creature she had chased had been surprised when she had caught it. So surprised that it had showed her its true form. In place of the small child it had transformed into a hideous yokai that had snatched her up and taken her to some town she had never seen before. By then Kaoru had realized that she was no longer in the human realm, but had crossed over into the spiritual realm. Though she was uncertain how it had happened in the middle of the day, the many strange onlookers were proof enough.

Some appeared to be human but leered at her with such sadistic expressions that she knew they weren't. Others were blatantly unhuman and looked at her with pity. A few ran to escape notice while a very few yelled at the yokai carrying her for being a brute to such a pretty young woman. One such brave soul had ended up being smashed beneath the large demon's foot.

Inside of one tall building with multiple stories she had been tossed at the feet of a particularly nasty looking yokai. From the way he had been positioned at the head of the room and the way the others had deferred to him, she could tell that he was the leader of whatever group that had taken her. A defiant part of her had allowed none of her fear and despair to show, and a bitter part of her had blamed the stupidity of her situation on the same bad luck that had allowed her grandfather to actually find her a paying husband. She knew the fault was her own, though, and had been unable to look the demon in the eye as he had laughed at her.

Nothing had been said to her about why she was there or what they had planned for her, and she had found herself quickly stuffed into a cell after the leader had verified that she was the one he had asked for. After, of course, they had patted her down and taken everything from her but her clothes. The absence of the little blue stone that had nestled against her ribs hurt, and it was harder to keep in control of her emotions with it gone.

The arms around her legs tightened, and she pressed her nose into her knees. She had yet to decide whether her decision to chase after the little demon was better than allowing her grandfather to marry her off to some stranger, but then she didn't know what they wanted her for. She suspected it was not going to be something pleasant, but still could not find it in her heart to wish that she was back home.

 _Tatsuyoshi-dono…_ The automatic prayer ended before it could completely form, and she bit her lip. Before she had known him she would have prayed without thought, because even though the prayer might not have been answered, just speaking to him would have comforted her. Now that she knew who he was and thought of him as more than just some being that watched over the forest, it had become harder to pray to him regarding her personal problems and wants. She had no desire to burden him unnecessarily. What if this wasn't something that he could help her with? Then he would be tormented by her plea for help.

A soft scuffling noise brought her attention back to her surroundings, and she lifted her chin to look around. A little voice in her head wondered if there were rats, but what she found was definitely not a nasty rodent. Instead there was a very handsome fox locked in a strange cage next to her own. It was plastered with paper seals and did not look to be very comfortable for the kitsune. When the creature inside noticed her attention, it turned its wary gaze on her and studied her with all the cunning and cautiousness of an intelligent being.

Kaoru swallowed, and darted a look around at the door to their enclosure. There was only one other cell, and the resident inside of it was lying so still on the ground that she feared it was dead. Her thoughts shied away from such a fate, and she carefully scooted herself closer to the bars that separated her cage from the fox's. The eyes within the darkness were a little eerie, but Kaoru didn't feel any evil intent from the small creature. She didn't try to speak to it, as she didn't think it would truly matter if anything was said. Pity wasn't something she was in a position to offer, and companionship was not something she wanted to find in a cell. Instead she darted her eyes up at the one small window that was above the kitsune's smaller cage. It had three large bars shoved through the opening to deter anyone from trying to climb in or out of it, but the fox appeared to be small enough to fit. Pleased, Kaoru turned back to the cage and reached a hand through the bars to start peeling at the seals.

A light hiss from the kitsune warned her not to reach into the cage, but she ignored its cautious hostility and picked at the corner of the piece of paper plastered around the cage door. It was stubborn at first, but her own indoctrination into the use of spiritual energy brought the necessary power naturally into her actions. Moments later the seal came free as if nothing had held it down. After three more seals were removed, the cage door fell forward with a puff of dust and the kitsune stopped hissing.

For a few long seconds the fox spirit did not move but to sniff the air, and Kaoru brought her hand back to wrap around the bars of her own cell. She smiled sadly when it glanced at her, and she leaned her forehead against the steel detaining her as the kitsune stepped out into the open. She felt strangely tired and she let her lashes fall as it became a little hard to catch her breath. It didn't seem right that the seals would have taken that much energy just to break. How much power did it really take to confine one small fox spirit, after all?

The kitsune was sitting in front of her when Kaoru opened her eyes, and she blinked to find herself staring into cinnamon colored irises. It had multiple tails, instead of just one, and had a greater presence outside of the sealed box. There was something quite haughty and slightly amused about its features, too, and Kaoru couldn't imagine what the creature thought of her. Perhaps it thought she was a fool for freeing another when she could not even free herself.

As if decided, the fox winked, and Kaoru sat up a little straighter when one of its many tails unfurled forward to reveal something it had hidden curled within its fur. It was long and skinny and covered by an old, rotted cloth, and the fox unceremoniously dropped it in front of Kaoru before jumping off the top of the cage and disappearing out of the window.

Surprised and a bit uncertain, Kaoru reached through the bars to pick up the offering. Unwrapped it was much prettier than the cloth covering it had suggested, and Kaoru quirked a smile at the simple looking hairpiece. At least, she thought that's what it was since it was smooth and lacquered like the small box she had at home for her hair ribbons. It was also the same size and shape as a single, decorative chopstick except for the linked metal tassel that was hanging from one end of it.

"The seals."

Kaoru jumped so hard that her head connected with the bars of her cell, but her adrenaline had spiked too far for her to feel the pain. Instead she scrambled backwards until she was pressed into the wall farthest from the hoarse voice. As her panic subsided she found that the other resident of the second cell was not dead as she had feared, and was instead gazing back at her from behind a jagged line of dirty hair. He appeared to be a man; a regular, human man. The only thing that was strange about him was the dark, never ending depths of his soulless eyes. A soft chuckle wheezed from his throat at her agitation, and it was a surprisingly harmless sound that was neither cynical nor pleased by her fear.

"Sorry." The ratty blanket wrapped around his shoulders was tugged tightly to his body, and he lowered himself back into the dirt to lay as he was before. The silence was suddenly loud, and Kaoru swallowed before replying softly.

"What about the seals?"

Those black eyes looked up at her from his prone position. "You broke them… but you're human, aren't you?"

Kaoru's fingers wrapped a little tighter around the gift from the fox, and she wondered if being human was something she should advertise. Of course, it probably wasn't a secret. "I am." Sapphire eyes dropped to the opened cage, and Kaoru sat a little straighter. "Should I not have been able to?"

The man shrugged. "I overheard our captors say that they found that fox in that cage. They haven't found anyone who could break the seal. I think it was supposed to be a powerful spirit. A nine-tailed fox, to be exact." He sat up once more and pulled his bare feet up against him to foster heat. "Are you a shrine maiden? You wear the attire." A slight tilt of her head spoke of shame as she broke eye contact, and she refused to answer. "Have you asked your deity to come save you?"

Kaoru fully ducked her chin as his voice sounded hopeful. "I'm sorry …but no."

"Don't you want to go home?" Now the man sounded confused, and her bottom lip pulled downward as she fought tears.

"No."

A crease formed between the man's brows, but was quickly smoothed away as he came to a theory that made sense to him. "Ah. You must serve a cruel deity."

An offended frown marred every inch of her face, and she immediately rebuked him for thinking badly of the kind kami she worshiped. "Tatsuyoshi-dono is a loving and gentle deity that cares for everything within his realm. He's humble and strong and kind and beautiful and, and…" A gasp followed by a sniff interrupted her, and she lifted the hand holding the hairpiece to rub the heel of her palm against the moisture on her check. "I don't think he even knows how to be cruel."

For some strange reason a look of shock and then wariness contorted the man's face, and he cringed slightly away from her. "What is that?" His black eyes narrowed. "How did you get that?"

Sapphire eyes blinked and then followed his stare to the hairpiece that she was holding. "The fox gave it to me. I… I think it wanted to pay me back for setting it free."

The harmlessness about the stranger disappeared without warning and was instead replaced by distrust, and his body language warped into something a little more threatening. "That is Hogosha. How did that fox even have possession of it?"

"Hogosha?" The name whispered from Kaoru's lips and the object in her hands warmed. It suddenly felt pleasant to hold, and even seemed happy to hear its name. _You are a protector, but…_ A frown pursed her lips and she turned it over in her fingers. _How do you protect anything when you're so small?_ Sapphire irises glanced back up at the man, and the gift was lowered into her lap. _And why do you scare this man so much?_

Abruptly the man was on his feet, and she jerked back as he jumped towards the bars and started hollering and pulling at the steel of his cell. "Guards! Guards! The kitsune has escaped! It's getting away!"

"What are you doing?!" The shocked shout tore from Kaoru's throat, and she stuffed Hogosha up her sleeve to keep it from being taken from her as well. "Stop it!"

Two fierce looking demons burst through the door, and upon seeing that the fox's cage was empty immediately yanked her from her cell. She tried to beat at the hands fisted in her hair, but had no luck in dislodging their hateful grip. The man in the other cell stood quietly as they drug her out of the prison hold, and she glared at him with tears in her eyes. Before the door was slammed between them he had the decency to look ashamed and regretful. "I'm sorry."

Once again Kaoru was thrown at the feet of the yokai leader, and her temper was starting to rise as her hands and knees slammed into the hard floor. They still had yet to explain why they were even keeping her, and though she had no desire to go home and be married to some bratty entitled boy, neither did she desire to stay there and be held captive any longer. The next hand that snatched at her was jabbed with the gift from the fox, and she surged to her feet as the demon cried out in pain. Hogosha's weight increased in her palm, and it was suddenly quite natural to hold. As if her body knew what it was doing, she swung Hogosha's length up and out to attack or counter each oncoming demon, and her feet slid under her in each correct stance for appropriate balance. There was no thought in her mind on what she needed to do next, there was only a feeling, as if she instinctively knew what was required to protect herself.

When her body finally stopped moving, she stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily and staring at the defeated foes scattered around her. The leader appeared shocked, angry and wary all at one time, but before triumph could lighten her eyes, the leader's voice shouted at someone standing behind her.

"You told us she would be easy prey!"

The person behind her laughed dryly, and she angled herself sideways so that her back wasn't to either of them. "And she was until she came into possession of Hogosha." The person stepped out of the shadows, and she felt a pang of confusion as the stranger from the other cell materialized and then faded into a clean and neatly dressed man. The look her gave her in return was neither arrogant for having tricked her nor disdainful. Instead what she felt from him was sadness and desperation, as well as a strong will to bury any notions of empathy. Whatever this man was doing, he was struggling the entire way.

His black eyes looked away from her, and he twitched a hand at the groaning yokai on the floor. "Unfortunately for you, she seems to be a natural."

A knife was drawn from the leader's belt, and he aimed the sharp weapon at the man. "If you knew she had it, then why did you have her taken from her cell?! I thought you wanted her caught!"

"It wouldn't have mattered. Once she figured out how to use it, she would have escaped, and I can't let her go just yet. She's only just passed my first test." The man was getting closer, and Kaoru backed up slowly and angled Hogosha warningly in front of her. It was only then that she registered the transformation the small weapon had undergone. Instead of a small, chopstick-looking piece of wood, it was now a full-sized wooden sword. Distantly she realized that she was holding the wooden sword the same way that she had witnessed the Forest Deity holding his katana. Except she had done so without consciously realizing it.

"Then take it away from her!"

"It has accepted her as its new master." The man was now level with her, and she frowned silently at their strange conversation. "No one can take it from her now." In one smooth motion his hand came up with fingers spread wide in front of her face. Vaguely Kaoru realized it was a distraction tactic, but didn't understand where the thought had come from. A moment later her body went lax and she crumpled onto the floor.

"I did not bargain for this, Onmyoji. You paid me to capture a girl, not contain a priestess."

"Don't worry. I know the perfect place to send her for my second test." The onmyoji knelt next to her paralyzed body, and her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to stay awake. Lightly one of his hands brushed her hair out of her eyes, and she wondered if she was just imagining the look of sorrow crunching his features. "She's a runaway, after all. As long as she never wants to go home… she'll never be able to leave."

X

A/N: No Kenshin in this chapter. Hm. Don't worry, he'll return in the next. :)

Next chapter: Kaoru is forced to come to terms with her own heart. Please leave a review and I hope you continue to enjoy!


	6. A Runaway Riddle of the Heart

I was going to post this earlier today, but got sidetracked playing ESO with my man. ;) Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: How I wish it were.

 **Chapter 6: A Runaway Riddle of the Heart**

A feeling of frustrated impatience tore at the Deity's chest as he killed yet another demon that had infiltrated his forest. Though his forest sprites were helping him free his realm of the intruders, he could not leave for fear of what damage an unchecked demon might do to his forest and to the village. Which meant he had been forced to leave Kaoru in the hands of the demon that had kidnapped her from him, and now it was full on night. The only reason he had not waited for her upon the trail that day was because she had not showed that morning. He had counted himself lucky that she had apparently decided not to visit, and had turned his full attention upon the troubles that were plaguing his lands. Obviously he was a fool, as the girl had visited every day since her arrival four years prior.

The Deity's jaw hurt from the pressure he was placing it under, and the palm of his hand was bleeding due to the unnecessarily tight grip of his fingers around the hilt of his katana. It was clear to him now that the opened doorways allowing free roam of whatever demon or spirit who wished entrance into his forest was simply a distraction to keep him busy. Kaoru was the target, and perhaps had been since the very first dead creature had been found upon that island in the middle of the lake. He had failed to protect her from the dangers of a world she was only just becoming familiar with, and he felt sick just thinking of what could be happening to her. This was not what he had wanted for her, and his anger was awakening a part of himself he had thought conquered long ago.

Though the demons died quickly under the blade of his katana, the taint they left behind was covering too much of his land. He would need to purify as well as purge, but that would take too much time and energy. He had not the strength to do both simultaneously considering the number of demons that had decided to invade his forest. Instead, he had erected a stronger barrier between the trees and the village to keep the townspeople safe. Before long he would run out of energy, and that would be dangerous on a completely different level.

Without warning the pressure of the multiple doorways vanished, and the Forest Deity lowered his sword hesitantly. Anticipating another trap, he carefully felt out every inch of his domain but found only a few stragglers that were being taken care of by his forest sprites. The distraction had been taken away. Did that mean that the strength of whoever had opened the doorways had finally run out, or did it mean that they were finished with Kaoru?

His heart convulsed and he created his own doorway into the spirit realm without delay. A small voice inside his head wondered if in the end it wasn't a trap for him, but he knew he couldn't abandon her. He had heard her voice briefly after her initial capture. The half-formed prayer had simply called his name and nothing more, but she had wanted to reach out to him. He had left her to her fate for too long, and he could not keep himself from her side any longer. Even if it meant leaving his forest open and unguarded.

The spirit realm was a large world with nearly as many residents as the human realm, but the Deity was so familiar with Kaoru's spiritual pressure that it took him little time to pinpoint her location. He was relieved that she was still alive, but frightened by the dwindling strength of her energy. It was like a flickering candle in the dark that would require little for it to be extinguished. A fierce rage tightened in his gut, but his first priority was to reach her. If she stayed in that world for very much longer she would never leave it again. Just the thought of what she might turn into saddened him. He could not bear to lose her like that. He could not bear to lose her at all.

Considering the elaborate scheme that had been used in order to take Kaoru without his interference, it was much too easy to find her and that made the Deity suspicious. When he realized where she was, however, his stomach sank. This was not a place for her. At least, he had never thought it would be.

The defeated and tired posture of her countenance walked slowly through the trees of the Runaway Forest, and the wooden sword in her hand drug through the dirt at her side. Her eyes focused upon the ground instead of where she was going, as if she were too tired to look or did not care. Her white kimono and red hakama were dirty and torn, and the ribbon holding her hair back had slipped free. There was something quite pitiful about her appearance that abruptly made her surroundings believable.

No matter how hard he tried he could not get close to her, and she could not hear his voice when he called. A frustrated sigh pushed from his nose and he closed his eyes. He didn't understand. Only those that ran away from their homes and lost their way ended up in this forest. Kaoru should not have been there, because the Kaoru he knew loved the home she now belonged to. He had made sure of that. So why was she now trapped within the Runaway Forest? What had happened to make her never want to go back to that home he had made beautiful for her?

Kaoru stumbled, and the Deity cringed. If she did not leave this place soon she would remain forever. Unfortunately, only she could decide when she left. Until her heart truly yearned for home, she would continue to wander without a destination.

X

The Onmyoji watched from a distance as the Forest God Tatsuyoshi followed a mere ten paces behind the shrine maiden. Each time she tripped or stumbled his face would crunch in dismay and his hands would twitch as if to help her. It was easy to tell that he wanted to take her from that place as quickly as possible, and was angry at his inability to do so. A sad smile pulled at the man's lips, and he briefly looked away. Nothing could be done until the girl wished it, and it was a sorrowful sight to behold.

If she called out the Deity's name he would undoubtedly answer her, but she would not hear it until her heart decided what it truly wanted. If she did not decide soon then the Onmyoji would be forced to start his search again. So far this had proven to be the best chance he had. The Deity had passed the test the moment he had arrived in the Runaway Forest. It was easy to tell what feelings he fostered for the young woman. They were complicated, but that only meant they were strong and they were true. All that remained in his way now was the girl. She worshiped the Deity as more than just a being that needed to be appeased, that was clear, but something was keeping her from loving him openly. Something was holding her back.

Black eyes shifted to his far left away from the pair, and he frowned at the glow of cinnamon irises coming from out of the dark. The kitsune had returned. Had it spotted him, or was it merely there for the girl? Quickly he glanced back at the Deity and his shrine maiden, but knew that he could not stay and risk being found out. His mission was much too important to be compromised by a fox spirit's mischievous interference. He would leave the rest up to them.

X

Kaoru had walked for what felt like miles and still she had found no end to the forest. A little voice in her head whispered that she should not stop. If she stopped she would never start again, and that frightened her more than the prospect of never finding the exit. Hogosha tingled in her palm, but the reassurance it gave her was no longer as insistent as before. By now she could tell that it was her own spiritual energy that allowed her to utilize its full potential. She had not the strength to lift it anymore, but caution kept her from putting it away. There was something wrong with this place, but the longer Kaoru was there the foggier her mind became. It was hard to see and to think, and only stubborn willpower had kept her feet moving; one in front of the other.

Despite her desperate plight, she still could not find it in her heart to wish for home. Not the home she had with her grandfather who planned to marry her off to some stranger from another village. All she could think of was her own despair and wish to escape. She did not want to marry any boy that her grandfather approved of, because she knew his motivation was purely one of greed. Bitterness was filling her and it colored every thought she had of her home. It was not a place she wanted to ever return to. She hated her grandfather, and she hoped she never saw him again.

 _So where do I want to go?_

The passing thought made her blink, and her brows creased as she tried to follow where it led. Something was keeping her from focusing, though, and her head was starting to pound. The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes, and she gasped as her breath struggled in her lungs. _Am I going to die here?_ A hopeless feeling meshed with her bitterness and she thought perhaps it would be better to die there than to live somewhere she would be unhappy. It wasn't as if anyone would really miss her anyway.

The beautiful blooming bud of a flower landed at her feet and she slowed to a stop to stare at its foreign presence. It was unbefitting the gloomy forest that surrounded her with its dying trees and craggy vines. Dew even still clung to the perfect flower, as if it had been plucked early in the morning, and it caused its soft petals to glow and sparkle. Wherever it had come from, it was pure, and it cleared the bitterness from her mind to allow her to remember why she was truly upset with her grandfather's decision to marry her off.

A tear dribbled from her eyelash and plopped onto the flower now collected in her free hand, and her strength gave way as she crumpled to her knees and began to cry. _Tatsuyoshi-dono… Tatsuyoshi-dono… I want to stay with you!_

"That is a relief, that it is." A hand stroked lightly over her hair, and she lifted her head slowly to find her guardian deity kneeling in front of her. He smiled kindly at her, but the fingers touching her were trembling. "This one was afraid he was going to lose you."

It was hard to see him, even though his visage was much brighter and clearer than the rest of the forest, and Kaoru couldn't tell if it was because of the tears still collecting in her eyes or the strength that was quickly fading from her limbs. A pained expression contorted his features, and it made her heart ache. At the same moment her hand questioningly curled into the front of his kimono, however, everything went dark and her body limp.

Kaoru's body relaxed as the spell the Deity cast wrapped around the remaining spiritual energy left to her and forced her into a deep slumber. Gently he collected her lax body against him, but the quivering emotion in his chest forced his arms to wrap tight around her shoulders. He needed to take her and leave so she could recover her lost spiritual energy. Instead the air shook from his mouth as he attempted to breathe, and he took comfort in the reassurance of her in his arms. The situation had affected him more than he had originally thought, and he was not prepared for the all-encompassing fear and rage that possibly losing her had engendered.

"Is she _your_ shrine maiden, Ken-san?" A familiar voice that the Deity had not heard in a long time teased him from a short distance away, and he lifted his nose from where he had buried it in Kaoru's hair. A small fox with nine bushy tails was sitting behind Kaoru's limp body, and its sharp face was tilted as it studied his embrace of the young woman. "You claimed to have no need for an attendant before. What made you change your mind?" A sly smile pulled at the kitsune's mouth. "Perhaps it was a change of heart?"

"Megumi-dono." A frown pulled at the Deity's mouth, and he surveyed the dark forest behind her. "Why are you here? Do you know something about what happened to Kaoru-chan? Why does she have the Hogosha? Father gave it to you to protect."

"So many questions, Ken-san, and you sound so angry." The kitsune rebuked him, and turned herself away with a pout.

A vexed sigh pushed from the Deity's mouth, and he closed his eyes to calm his impatient wrath. "Forgive this one, Megumi-dono."

"I suppose I must since you're being so polite." Megumi chortled and stepped forward to nose at the wooden weapon she had gifted to the young woman. It had returned to its dormant state now that her spiritual energy had been suppressed, but the girl still held it tight within her palm. "This young woman of yours freed me while she herself was imprisoned, and I gave her the Hogosha as thanks. I did not disobey our Sovereign Deity. He instructed me to protect the Hogosha until I found someone worthy of wielding it."

Violet eyes glanced at the hand that still clutched the now diminutive wooden sword. "This one will not disagree that Kaoru-chan is indeed worthy." Again his hand petted her hair affectionately. "What do you mean she freed you? Were you both captured by the same person?"

"Hmph. Some upstart human man thought to trap me and keep me in some filthy cage. No doubt he did not understand who it was he had captured." There was as much anger as offended pride in her haughty voice, and her entire body shook as if to free herself of the memory of being trapped. "He had the audacity to apologize after he had caught me. As if I would actually believe that he was sorry for treating me like a mere beast."

An uncertain frown now creased the brow of the deity. "Are you saying a mere human was capable of capturing you?"

"An onmyoji." The word was spit as her fur stood on end and she rose up on all fours. Despite her anger, though, she appeared worried. "He was… very powerful." Cinnamon eyes dropped to Kaoru, and she sat back down slowly. "The girl is just as powerful for being able to break the seals that he placed on me." Megumi's eyes swung to the Deity accusingly. "For a _mere_ human. Have you done something to this young woman, Ken-san? Her spiritual energy has the feel of something more than just human."

The violet eyes of the Deity softened, and he adjusted Kaoru's body so that he could lift her. "This one has done nothing irrevocable. Not yet." The gentle expression morphed back into his pleasant smile, and somehow he felt more dangerous. "Now, please tell this one everything that you know about Kaoru-chan's capture. This one must properly thank her host for their hospitality."

x

A/N: After I finished writing this story completely and reread it a couple of times, I realized that I never actually put the onmyoji's name in any of the chapters. I thought about fixing that, but then thought that I kind of don't want to. The onmyoji is an RK character, but that's all I'll say for now. The hints about who it is should be more than enough to confirm his identity as the story progresses. I'll confirm who it is in the last chapter, though, just because. :)

Next chapter, Kenshin reveals himself to another human, and loses his temper. Thank you for reading, and for all the wonderful reviews! This one would be most grateful if you left another, that she would.


	7. The Absence of Prayer

Disclaimer: I have no claim, and I'm really okay with that. I have more fun this way.

 **Chapter 7: The Absence of Prayer**

An older woman was pacing the back porch relentlessly in worried impatience when the Deity broke from the tree line with Kaoru cradled in his arms. Due to the circumstances, he did not attempt to hide his presence, and instead allowed the woman to see his approach. Her dark eyes swung first to Kaoru's unconscious form, but when they darted to him for an explanation her eyes rounded and she lowered to her knees on the hard wood.

"Tatsuyoshi-dono." A low bow arched her back and neck, but her anxiety for the girl lifted her chin quickly. "What has happened to Kaoru-chan?"

It pleased him that the woman worried for her. "She is merely unconscious. Please take me to where she can rest."

"Of course… but please, you mustn't enter the back of the house." A hand lifted as if to bar him entry and direct him around to the front.

"This one is not concerned with formalities on this evening." He smiled kindly, and stepped up on the engawa beside her. "The next time this one visits he will make certain to utilize the correct entrance for guests."

"V-very well. This way."

Kaoru's futon was laid out quickly as he surveyed her small room, and a light smile pulled at his lips as he noted each carefully placed gift he had given her and flower she had plucked from his forest. It was a happy room, full of life and love, and he was still confused as to why she had wished for a time not to return to it. Great care had been put into everything in her room, and it did not speak of one who would run away from it.

Gently the Deity settled Kaoru on her bedding, and then pulled the blankets over her dirty but exhausted form. Obaasan sighed from the other side of the futon, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

"I'm so glad she's safe." Tentatively, as if uncertain how to act in his presence, she glanced up at him. "Can you tell me what happened?"

As his hand released the blankets around Kaoru's chin, he brushed his fingers across her cheek to dislodge hair from her lips. "She wandered into the spirit realm and became lost." It was kinder not to tell the woman that she had been kidnapped by demons. "It took this one longer than he would have liked to find her."

"I see…" Another sigh pushed from the old woman's lungs and her voice lowered to a whisper. "I was certain she had run away."

A frown pulled at his benevolent features. "What reason would Kaoru-chan have to run away? Is she not happy here?" The words were slightly confrontational, and the woman bowed quickly to appease him.

"Forgive me, Great Deity, it is not my place to say."

The anger that he had staved off for the sake of Kaoru's return to the human realm fought to resurface, but he knew that it was not the woman he was angry with. Simmering violet eyes closed, and he retrieved his hand from Kaoru's skin. "Kaoru has expended most of her spiritual energy while within the spirit realm. This one has placed her under a spell so that she will rest, but you must not allow her to sleep any longer than what is normal tomorrow. Wake her at her normal time, but do not feed her. Send her into the forest so that this one can assist with the appropriate replenishment of her energy."

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Tatsuyoshi-dono." The woman bowed once more as he stood to leave. "I am most grateful that you have watched over this young girl for all these years. She is such a sweet and devoted child."

"This one does not watch over her for your sake, Obaasan." Instant humility made the old woman flush, but the look she found on the Deity's face dissipated the emotion with understanding. The words had been spoken with much warmth. "This one must take his leave now."

"Of course." _Thank you, Great Deity of the Forest. I pray for your happiness as well._

X

A plume of thick smoke and dust was rising up from the outskirts of town, and all kinds of demons and spirits were fleeing the area. One of the Kanedama spirit's dark eyebrows lifted as he sidestepped a crazed tanuki family, and he whistled as they quickly disappeared from sight. Once he was close enough to see the destruction that was the cause of the commotion and voluntary evacuation, the tall spirit sighed and crossed his arms. At the center of a collapsed building stood a single figure, but all that could be seen through the dust cover was the glow of golden eyes. For a long moment they simply stared, but then the figure stepped through the cloud towards him while dragging a motionless body by the collar of its robes.

"What the hell has you all pissed off, Ken-man?"

The body was tossed at the taller spirit's feet, and the Forest Deity sheathed his katana before folding his hands up into his sleeves in a rather dignified manner. "Sanosuke-san. Does the Sovereign Deity's treasurer have some business here?"

A short laugh snorted out of Sano's nose, and he toed the unconscious demon that had been the focus of the Deity's attention up until his arrival. "Nah, he sent me to see what was up. Do ya got some kind of beef with these lowlifes?"

"They took something from me that did not belong to them." A small, blue stone was retrieved from his sleeve, and he took great care to wipe it clean.

"Man, you better not tell your pops that you did all this for a trinket. That'll just annoy him." Laughter rumbled in the taller man's chest, but tapered off when the golden eyes of the Deity shot downward to pierce through the stirring demon.

"This trinket holds more value than the lives of scum who commit atrocities for their own pleasure." With equal care the blue stone was tucked back into his sleeve. "Tell me, Sano, have you heard anything about an onmyoji stirring up trouble for other deities?"

"Hmm. Not sure about an onmyoji, but there's been some problems with strange demon deaths and land taint. Why?"

The Deity was quiet for a long time as he contemplated this new information, and his golden eyes shifted strangely as they narrowed. "It appears that **I** need to speak with Father directly. Will you inform him for me? And take care of this scum while you're at it." The deity quirked an amused smile. "Unless you had plans to gamble the rest of Father's treasure away?"

"That's a low blow, dammit! He knows I was just trying to double his fortune!"

X

Kaoru knelt in silent prayer before the shrine of the Forest God, and asked as she always asked for him to watch over the village, the people, and the forest. Her body felt heavy still and her stomach rolled with a strange nausea, but she forced her way through the daily routine knowing the eyes of the Deity were watching her from across the way.

That morning she had awoken to find herself back in her bedroom as if the day before had never happened. The little blue stone that she treasured had been waiting for her, and so had the weapon named Hogosha; both had been tucked inside her kimono for safekeeping. When she had been shooed from the house without breakfast, she had found the Deity waiting for her on the path with a meal and a warm smile. The spirit food had banished some of her fatigue, but he had warned her that she would not be completely well until the next day as her body was unused to the pressure of the spirit realm and the utilization of so much energy. Then he had apologized for not getting to her sooner.

Kaoru was uncertain how she felt about being rescued. She had been happy when the Deity had appeared before her, and had wanted nothing more than to leave with him. Now that the danger and stress of the situation was gone, however, she could see that her position had changed little. She was still trapped by her grandfather and his decision to sell her off, and there was nothing that she could do about it; not even pray to the benevolent god of the forest. Even he had asked her little about her capture, though she had attempted to offer him what she knew about the omnyoji. His features had tensed at the mention of the other being and he had looked away before quietly informing her that he was taking care of the problem. Nothing had really changed at all.

Sapphire irises blinked tiredly open and she glanced at the Deity standing behind her. No, something _had_ changed, but she wasn't sure it was in any way good. There was a sharpness about the eyes of her guardian deity, and a slight frown had permanently creased the section between his brows even though his lips still smiled. He was displeased, and she was afraid that it wasn't only due to the omnyoji's interference with his lands. There was something quite sad about the expression.

Slowly she stood to her feet and turned with the basket of dirty dishes in hand. No prayers or offerings had been given the day before, and she worried about the sprites that lived within the forest. They were the ones that ate most of the food, after all, and the Deity appeared to be fine besides the foreign tension about his presence. The basket she had dropped within the forest before chasing after that demon had strangely disappeared.

"Have you lost faith in this one, Kaoru-chan?" The unexpected question widened her eyes, and she clutched the basket tightly in instant denial.

"W-what? Why would you ask such a thing?"

Both of his hands folded up into the voluminous sleeves of his layered kimono and he looked away. "Your prayers have become hollow and lack any real desire, and you have not asked for anything personal in a long time. This one can feel the absence of your prayers like a void in my realm."

Kaoru's face paled and his words were so sad that she could feel her sympathy working against her. It wished to release all of her pent up sorrow and frustration, but that would only require him to console her. She wished to give him solace, not the other way around, and it took everything she had to swallow it back down. "I-I… have nothing that I want, that's all."

"Nothing at all?" Red lashes lowered. "Last night you wished to stay here with me." Kaoru flushed and looked away quickly when he returned his sharp stare on her. "This one was very pleased, but he wonders why today you do not seem that happy to have returned."

A smile forced its way onto her mouth, and her eyes clenched shut to stall any tears. "I _am_ happy to be here with you. I just don't feel very well today. I'm sorry if I've upset you, Tatsuyoshi-dono."

 _Now she is lying to me._ His heart seized desperately, because it felt like he was losing her. "Of course I am upset." Despite himself, anger tainted his voice, and it sounded like the deep thrum of an earthquake echoing through the trees. Kaoru stepped back uncertainly as the leaves tremored, and her fear was easy to taste on the air. Even his humble façade had momentarily broken to allow her a peek at that which he shielded the ones under his care from. "For whatever reason, you no longer wish to belong within my realm."

"O-of course I do…" The tremulous denial only angered him more, and when his golden eyes narrowed she shrunk in on herself. Long moments later he sighed, and the sadness returned to his features before he could hide it by turning away.

"Forgive this one, Kaoru-chan. This one knows you are still tired, and you undoubtedly do not feel well. Please return home and rest now."

"No!" One hand fisted into the sleeve of his kimono, and he stopped to peer at her bowed form curiously. She knew her reaction had been too dramatic, but the thought of leaving the forest and going back to her grandfather's house was appalling. "P-please, I want to stay here." A thoughtful frown tugged at his lips and eyes, and she gasped in a shaky breath. If she had to leave to be someone else's bride, then she wanted to enjoy whatever time she had left. _Do whatever you have to, just stop letting him see._ "I prefer the forest, Tatsuyoshi-dono, because you have made it so beautiful and warm. Don't make me go back to the village. I really do want to stay here." A smile pulled at her lips as she glanced up at him, and though it was sad, it was real. "If I had my way, I would never leave."

Gently the very tips of his fingers touched her chin and her eyes blinked open incredulously as she stood at his gentle urging. "This one finds… that it does not please him anymore." His features had remained in that thoughtful frown, and her heart sank in rejection.

"O-oh… I'm sorry, I'll…"

"The village gave this one that name. Please do not use it any longer."

"Tatsuyoshi-dono?" Confusion froze her in place, and she studied the Deity's features as he lowered his hand to take hers. Once again, only the tips of his fingers barely grasped the tips of hers.

"It is no longer appropriate of you to address me as your deity, especially as you no longer feel the need to offer your own prayers."

 _He's angry with me!_ Desperation clawed at her chest as she suspected the true root of his displeasure, and she dropped the basket to clasp both hands in front of her and duck her chin in deference and shame. "I'm sorry, Tatsuyoshi-dono! I'll try harder! I swear I will! Please don't be upset!"

"Prayers should not be forced." The gentle fingers now touching the back of her clasped hands briefly trembled before he stepped abruptly away and withdrew his hands into his sleeves. "If this one no longer gets to hear your prayers, then you should no longer address me as your deity." A broken noise of pain was quickly muffled by her fingers, but he offered her no comfort. Just as he had never personally offered her comfort when she had cried to him before. "Instead… it would please this one if you were to utilize his true name from now on." Sapphire eyes peeked in surprise at him from over her fingertips, and he finally smiled. "It is the name that the Sovereign Deity gave this one, and it is very dear to me."

Kaoru shook her head in shock as she gasped for breath. "I-I'm not worthy of that." The plea was nearly pitiful, and his eyes closed in amusement.

"This one is very much in disagreement. You are dearer to me than anyone else. You should be the only one worthy of calling me Kenshin."

"Kenshin?" The revelation of his true name had been so abrupt that she couldn't help but repeat it.

The crease between his brows disappeared, and his smile was abruptly real. "That is this one's name. Will you please continue to use it?"

"I…" Kaoru's cheeks flushed crimson, and she ducked her head in respect, but mostly to hide her joy. "If it would please you, then of course. I'm honored that you thought me worthy."

"It pleases this one very much." The hands folded into his kimono clenched into the material to keep from reaching for her, and his features fought to stay passive. "Do you truly wish to stay here forever, Kaoru-chan?"

A wistful expression replaced her embarrassment, and he watched as she turned her head to look out into the forest. There was longing in her eyes, and it hurt his chest with an empathetic longing of his own. "Nothing would please me more." The declaration hung between them for long enough to embarrass her again, and she smiled at him with a shrug. "I enjoy being your shrine maiden, but… I think it would be most wonderful if I were a forest sprite. Then I could live in the forest and help you forever."

A tear glistened on her lashes, and he misunderstood the emotion affecting her with all the excitement and expectence of an all-knowing being. Slowly he extended one hand to wrap his fingers around hers again, and was pleased with his own racing heartbeat. "Then there _is_ something that you wish for." Her excitement faded, but he didn't notice. "The Sovereign Deity has called for all of the deities to meet in two days' time. Will you accompany me?" The shifting violet of his irises was mesmerizing, but it was his deep breath that she found interesting. "This one will ask him for permission to grant your wish."

X

A/N: He needs permission? lol Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Every one of them brightens my day, which means a lot to me.


	8. A Night Among Deities

It seems I may not have gotten one important aspect of my story across, and that's completely my fault as the writer. Please forgive this unworthy one as she continues to grow and learn. While Kaoru may be interacting with her deity in a much more familiar manner than anyone else in her village, it is still in the forefront of her mind that she is a shrine maiden and must fulfill her duties as such, and Kenshin is her guardian deity. While she has obviously fallen in love with him, it is very natural for her to think of him as someone she should/could never confess such feelings to. It is her duty to tend to the shrine for herself and others to worship him in a manner that he deserves, while it is his duty to protect their lands and all that lives there. Him showing her kindness, in her eyes, means that he is merely a kind deity that takes care of his followers. It would never even cross her mind to assume or imagine that he has any other motive, and she is constantly aware of the separation their station/existence puts between them. Sigh, sorry I had to explain it in an author's note.

Disclaimer: …

 **Chapter 8: A Night Among Deities**

Nervously Kaoru touched a hand to the hidden strength of Hogosha beneath her obi. The Deity had encouraged her to bring it along, but she would have even if he hadn't. While she was anxious and excited and about to hyperventilate about being in a room full of great deities, she was also uncertain about returning to the Spirit Realm so soon after her last excursion. The Deity had reassured her that this time he would be there to shield her, and she would have no need to utilize very much of her own energy. He would also be there to protect her, although he had not said as much in so many words. Still, the small weapon had been brought, and Kaoru felt more comfortable with it near.

It was already past dark, and Kaoru had been forced to sneak out of her grandfather's house just to go. The meeting was to happen at night, as all of the deities had responsibilities during the day. A small smile pulled at Kaoru's mouth, and she hid the pleased expression from the deity walking next to her. Tonight would be a wonderful secret that she would cherish for many years to come. The one and only time she had ever disobeyed her grandfather wantonly and did something that had the possibility of disgracing her reputation. Not that anyone would ever believe she had spent a night among deities. Sapphire eyes glanced at the one beside her. She would never tell anyone, either, that just for a little while she pretended that he was her lover and not her god.

"You look lovely in a summer kimono, Kaoru-chan."

A shy but pleased blush brightened her features, and she smiled happily. Just for tonight she would forget everything else. "Thank you. Obaasan helped me make it." He smiled warmly, and then led her to the large building at the center of the shrine. Just for tonight, she would enjoy the touch of his hand on hers. "Where is this meeting, Tatsu…?" Violet eyes glanced sideways at her and she grinned sheepishly. "Kenshin." His smile returned. _Just for tonight, I will call him by his true name and not feel as if I am disrespecting him._

"It is in the Sovereign Deity's home; only a short flight from this one's."

Dark brows lifted in amazement. "Flight?" The shoji of the central shrine he was touching slid aside and Kaoru blinked at the interior of a mansion she had never seen before; and she had cleaned the inside of the shrine many times.

"Do not worry. This one will carry you."

The mansion that they stepped into seemed to flash past them as they made for a beautiful water garden that bordered one side of the large building. It was all so overwhelming and mystical that Kaoru couldn't keep from staring in an attempt to remember everything, including the wonderful sensation of adventure and beauty it birthed in her heart. When her guardian deity allowed her to see his true form, however, everything else seemed dull and shallow. _He truly is a beautiful dragon!_

His body was long and sleek, and though the claws on his feet were sharp and dangerous, his countenance was regal and calm. Eyes of sparkling gold studied her as she stared in awe, and a soft noise rumbled from deep within his throat when she clasped her hands in front of her. She was at a loss for words, and it seemed to amuse and please him.

Kaoru was allowed to settle herself sideways on the back of his neck, and encouraged to clasp the horns that sprouted from the hair at the back of his head for balance. The flight was like a dream, and she felt neither fear nor as if she had even left the ground. Even the wind barely upset her hair, and she imagined they were alone in a world of their own design. _Just for tonight, I will allow my heart to enjoy you._

They arrived at the meeting, but Kaoru suspected that what the deities were doing had little to do with serious conversation. Much merriment could be heard from within the magnificent castle of the Sovereign Deity, and once inside she couldn't help but chuckle under her breath as her imaginings and fears were swept away by the drinking, dancing and singing visions of the deities that protected the lands. There were, of course, serious ones among them, but they were amusingly drunk and attempting to convince those that would listen of how disgraceful their actions were by acting so foolish.

"Ken-man! Glad you could make it!" A tall deity pushed his way through the crowd and slapped a hand to the back of the Deity beside her. There was a pleasant grin on his face that spoke of a close relationship between the two, and Kaoru felt envy for their comradery. A moment later this new deity leaned forward and lowered his voice. "He hasn't shown yet, but he's willing to speak with you."

"Thank you, Sano." As Kaoru looked on curiously, she was abruptly startled by the sharp way the mahogany irises of Kenshin's friend turned on her. At first he simply blinked, and then his brows shot into his hairline.

"Hey there. Now those are some interesting eyes you got, Missy." A small smirk pulled at his lips, and he stood straight to push both hands into his pockets. "You didn't happen to misplace a pretty blue stone the other day, did you?" The question caught her off guard, and she lifted a hand to the fold in her kimono just to make certain that the blue stone was still there. The furtive action pulled a full blown smirk onto his mouth, and he turned the expression on Kenshin. "Come on. I'll pour ya a drink and you can introduce me to the cute little human you brought along."

The merriment continued well into the night as Kaoru sat with Kenshin and the other deity he called Sano. It appeared that they were very good friends, as Kaoru had guessed, and though they spoke of many things that Kaoru did not understand, she was happy and jealous of the easy way they interacted. It was a side of her deity that she had never seen before, although he spoke with her more comfortably than she thought he should. The knowledge reminded her of the distance that was between them, even as she pretended for that one night that there was none.

After a few hours, a new spirit joined them. She was a beautiful woman with intelligent features, and a cunning chortle that rubbed at her throat as she plopped down directly next to Kenshin and latched herself to his arm. "Why Ken-san, your cup is empty. Let me fill it for you."

The smile on his mouth did not waver, and he accepted her offer willingly, to Kaoru's dismay. "Thank you, Megumi-dono. You are very kind." A sharp sting of regret pierced Kaoru's chest, and she quickly averted her eyes. Why hadn't she refilled his drink immediately? Then this new woman wouldn't have had the chance. And why was she hanging off of him so familiarly? Were they closer to one another than the other deity she had been introduced to? _And what would it matter to you if they are? He does not belong to you. You are to be wed to another man within the fortnight. You should be happy for him._

"You flatter me, Ken-san." The new woman giggled again, and then leaned in close to whisper something in his ear. Kaoru tried hard to ignore their intimate interaction, but was abruptly surprised by the deep scowl on the features of the tall deity named Sano across from her. His reaction to the other two startled her enough to make her miss Kenshin's lowered reply, but when he stood she quickly strained her neck to look up at him curiously.

"This one has something that he must do, Kaoru-chan. You will be safe here with Sano and Megumi-dono until this one returns."

"But…" She half stood, but was detained by one of his kind smiles and a hand on her shoulder.

"This one will not be gone for long."

Sapphire eyes watched as her escort disappeared through a closed shoji on the far side of their room, and with his absence her anxiety returned. Slowly she settled back onto her cushion and turned her attention to the two she had been left with. Her fear was quickly replaced by surprise when Sano immediately confronted Megumi about her presence there.

"What the hell was that all about, Fox?"

The woman chortled in quite a different way than before, and Kaoru frowned. "I have no reason to tell you, Rooster Head. Ken-san and I have some mutual business that you have no part in." With a sly smile, Megumi turned to Kaoru and offered to refill her drink this time as she ignored the confused and slightly hurt frown on Sano's face. "It's so wonderful to get to see you again, Kaoru-chan. I'm glad Ken-san invited you tonight."

"Oh…" The frown lines deepened between Kaoru's brows, and she steadied her cup as Megumi filled it. "H-have we met before?"

The smile that pulled at the woman's lips this time was kind, and she reached up a hand to pet her hair. "You freed me from an onmyoji cage." A twitch of disgust contorted her lips. "I was in there for so long I was afraid I would never get that smell out of my fur."

"You're the kitsune!" Shock made her sapphire eyes wider. "I'm so glad you were able to get away safely. Oh, and here…" The saucer was put down and she dug into the obi of her kimono for Hogosha. "Thank you very much for letting me borrow this."

"Borrow? Oh dear girl, it's yours. Hogosha has accepted you as its master, and it will not leave your side until you are no longer of this world."

"Oh." Kaoru looked at the small weapon in her hands, and saw it in a very different light. Claims such as those meant that it was not just a possession, but a companion.

"Now come, young girl. Let us drink and be merry while we wait for Ken-san to return."

"Well that's the first intelligent thing I've heard you say tonight." The fox spirit stuck her nose up at the tall deity, and Kaoru spent the rest of the night trying to figure out their strange relationship.

Sano had convinced her to participate in some of the games, and she had befriended quite a few of the other deities when everything went quiet within the large span of opened rooms for the gathering. As one, all of the attendees bowed their heads in respect, and Kaoru glanced around in wide-eyed awe to find what had brought about this kind of simultaneous reaction. At the far end of the room where Kenshin had disappeared an hour before, a large man stood framed within the opened doors. His hair and eyes were black as night, and his form was obviously well muscled, even covered by his stately clothing. There was a stern expression on his features, and when his eyes slid over her she ducked her head quickly to avoid notice.

This was no doubt the Sovereign Deity, and Kaoru held her breath as he walked directly in front of her towards a lavish seat that had so far stood empty at the head of the room. A second set of feet followed close behind his, however, and Kaoru glanced up just in time to catch Kenshin smile down at her. Once they were seated everyone went back to their separate conversations and games, but Kaoru found that her eyes were drawn to the Sovereign Deity and to Kenshin who sat next to him. He appeared quite natural next to the blinding visage of the Sovereign, as if he belonged there; not as a lesser deity, but as an equal.

A moment later Kenshin's violet eyes glanced towards her, and her stomach clenched as she realized that their conversation included her. What was it exactly that he was talking to the Sovereign Deity about? Surely he wasn't going to request permission to really grant her wish. Kaoru was already aware that what she wanted was outside of her reach, and even staying as a forest sprite would not fulfill the desire in her heart. _I should not have spoken so irresponsibly._

Then the Sovereign Deity waved his hand, and Kaoru found herself summoned to join them. It was hard to breathe when she sat next to Kenshin, but it was a little easier when he wrapped a hand reassuringly around hers. "So this is the new master of Hogosha." The Sovereign Deity's voice was powerful and deep, and his eye assessed her as if weighing her worth.

"Do you approve, Hiko-dono?" Kaoru touched a hand to the small weapon hidden within her obi, and looked back and forth between her Guardian Deity and the Sovereign Deity. There was an expectant smile on Kenshin's face, but the Sovereign Deity just grunted.

"Hmph. Tell me girl, did that onmyoji happen to reveal his name or true purpose?" Blue eyes blinked in stunned surprise and she glanced at Kenshin next to her. The smile had disappeared from his features, but he did not object to the questioning; even as he had refused to question her on the very same subject.

"N-not his name, but I did see his true face." Hesitantly she licked her lips, because it seemed as if her deity did not like this topic. "He said something about a test. That forest he sent me to. I believe it was the second test."

"Do you know what the first test was?"

Kaoru's nose wrinkled as she thought, and she started to shake her head before she placed a hand once more over Hogosha. A quick intake of breath pulled into her lungs and she glanced behind her at the kitsune who was laughing with Sano. "I freed Megumi-dono. He told me that the yokai had captured her, but Megumi-dono said that it was the onmyoji. That means he put her near to my cell on purpose, right? Just to see if I could break the seals he had placed."

"Hmm, so it would seem. He did not happen to reveal the purpose of these tests?"

"No."

"Well whatever the purpose, you can be sure that he has targeted you specifically." The observation was spoken not to her, but to the deity beside her. "If he was also behind the other incidents of land taint, which I suspect he was, he must not have found what he wanted in the other deities' lands. Perhaps he has found it in yours. Don't let you guard down again, baka."

The frown on Kenshin's face had darkened just a touch, and the hand gripping hers had tightened. A few worried chews of her lip gave her enough courage to ask what was on her mind. "Why do you think Tatsuyoshi-dono has been targeted?" The frown on Kenshin's face was turned on her for the use of the name and the question, but she kept her chin level and her eyes fixed on the Sovereign Deity. This appeared to amuse the Sovereign Deity, even as it annoyed Kenshin.

"All of the attacks stopped the day you were taken."

"This one would rather not burden Kaoru-chan with such things."

"I can see that, baka. You seem to prefer that she know nothing."

Kenshin's jaw clenched and something lurched in Kaoru's stomach, but she forced herself to continue. "A-and… no other shrine maidens were taken like me?"

The hard eyes of the Sovereign Deity stayed pinned on Kenshin even as he answered. "A few, but they were returned rather quickly. Perhaps they didn't pass the first test."

 _Then I'm the one that's really being targeted. Is that why Kenshin has kept it from me? He didn't want me to feel guilty about being the cause of all the problems in his forest. I suppose it would be best if I left…_

"Enough, Hiko-dono. The problem is mine, not hers."

"Oh aye, it is yours, without question. You are her guardian deity. Which means you need to take responsibility for this and stop whatever that onmyoji has planned." Kaoru blinked as her own worries were quickly dashed, but she was uncertain of why the blame belonged solely to her deity. "But if you know that, then what did you bring her here for, baka? Did you want my permission or my opinion?" A humorless laugh shot from the large deity's throat, and he downed a saucer of sake. "When have you ever listened to me before? I can tell by looking at her that you've already made up your mind."

"This one wishes only for Kaoru-chan's safety." Kenshin's voice had deepened, and Kaoru ducked into herself uncertainly as the two appeared to argue over her.

"Horseshit, boy! You clearly wish for more than that! Just how much spirit food have you been feeding her?!"

Violet eyes narrowed, and Kaoru was surprised to see the ghost of petulance on the Forest Deity's face. "Only one meal a day."

"And for how long? Do you even realize what you've done? You practically painted a target on her." Now there was anger in the Sovereign's voice, and Kaoru jerked in shock as his large hand locked around her jaw and yanked her forward. Instinctively her hand went for Hogosha, but she was unable to pull it free fast enough. Though she was uncertain what she truly would have done against him. "Just how long have your eyes looked like that, girl?"

"I-I don't understand." She tried to struggle against his grip, but his hand was too firm and it only hurt if she moved. Two of his free fingers snapped and then a mirror appeared directly in front of her face. Kaoru stared at her own reflection, but saw nothing unusual about her own bright, sapphire eyes. "They've always looked like that."

"Please take your hand from her, Hiko-dono." The revelation caused the Sovereign Deity's brows to knit together and he ignored Kenshin's rather stern request even as he released her.

Kaoru ducked back defensively. "Is something wrong with my eyes?"

Kenshin glared at the Sovereign Deity before releasing a long, resigned breath. "Nothing is wrong with your eyes, Kaoru-chan." Carefully he helped situate her a little further behind him on her cushion so that he was directly between her and the ruling deity. "They are very beautiful eyes, that they are." He smiled, and brushed his fingers against the bright red marks left on her chin and cheeks. They disappeared without her even knowing they were there. "They allowed you to see me when no one else could." For some reason this statement seemed to be spoken for the benefit of the Sovereign Deity and not for her.

"It means you were born with strong spiritual powers, Kaoru-dono." The abruptly respectful way the Sovereign Deity addressed her froze her in place, and it took a few seconds before what he spoke settled in her brain. Before she could reply, though, he had already turned his attention to Kenshin. "I can see that means you have only augmented what she was born with. Which also means she will be safer with your protection. If this is what you truly want, and if it is indeed what she also wants, then you have my approval. _But_ …" His voice became stern once more and rumbled in the very air in a way quite similar to how Kenshin's had. "You will remember the promise you made to me when you refused your own birthright."

"And you will remember that the decision is ultimately his." Kenshin stood with a smile and offered Kaoru a hand. "It is getting late. We will take our leave now, Father."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Kaoru-dono."

"T-the pleasure was all mine." Kaoru bowed low in respect, and continued to frown in confusion as she followed Kenshin over to Sano and Megumi to say their farewells. What exactly had changed during the course of their conversation for the Sovereign Deity to address her in a much more respectful way?

X

A/N: So I forgot that I wanted to point out how much fun I had making Sano's character a kanedama spirit, which is literally just a spirit that carries money. Kenshin even kind of poked fun at him in the last chapter about how easily he seems to lose it. XD

Well, despite my long explanation at the beginning of this chapter, things are starting to come together now. I wonder just what kind of permission Kenshin received anyway, and just what has he been doing to Kaoru all this time?! Please leave a review and I hope you continue to like! (Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the omnyoji!)


	9. Eternal Intentions

So I'm a little annoyed. I don't know if it's the website or my email, but I have not been getting notifications for everyone's reviews! I think I'm only get a notification for maybe about 3/4 of the reviews, which means I may have missed even seeing some of them! No! Why! I love reading reviews! I'm so sorry if I missed getting to read one of your reviews, but I have some free time today, and plan to go all the way back and read them all!

Disclaimer: This just recently happened to me, and I couldn't be happier! (Technically, this happened to me almost two years ago now when I first typed up this chapter, lol, but I'm still really happy about it. :)

 **Chapter 9: Eternal Intentions**

The wonderful night was coming to an end, and Kaoru smiled sadly as her heart ached. She had greatly enjoyed her evening in the spirit realm this time, and would have been happy if it had continued forever. Though she had spent barely half of the time with Kenshin, and much less than that alone with him, that time had been more than she could have hoped for. Now they walked once more down the path to the village, and she was quite unaware of the desperate tightness of her fingers around his. She didn't want to go home, because soon her grandfather would return and she would be taken away from her deity and his realm.

"Are you pleased that you came along, Kaoru-dono?" The sad smile on her face was replaced by a frown as he addressed her in that strangely dignified fashion, and she blinked at her deity in confusion.

"Of course I am…"

"This one is as well. He is very much pleased with the result of our conversation with the Sovereign Deity. It went… much better than this one expected, actually." He laughed, which was a wonder of its own, and she smiled but ducked her chin. It had been easier to delude herself into believing she could enjoy him freely at the beginning of the night. Now at the end, it only hurt. "Please do not worry about the onmyoji, Kaoru-dono. Everything will be fine. This one promises to keep you safe."

It was obvious that he had read her distress, but had misinterpreted it. Kaoru smiled quickly to agree with him. _Why does he keep addressing me like that?_ "I know." They came to a stop near the tree line, but not one of the buildings in the village had a light left on. It was well into the night now, and everyone had found comfort in their beds. Only the moon and stars far above offered light in their quiet world.

"I-I suppose I should get back before anyone discovers my absence."

"You are right, Kaoru-dono. This one would not want anyone to mistake my intentions towards you." A soft expression touched his face. "Least of all you."

"Oh, I would never mistake your intentions!" Blue eyes widened, and she held up her hands between them. "You are very kind, and I am grateful you thought to involve me in something as wonderful as tonight."

"This one is pleased to hear that. Megumi-dono thought that you might have misunderstood." Both of his hands reached to wrap around her wrists and lower her guarding hands so that there was no barrier between them, but she was so distressed about correcting the kitsune's claim that she didn't react to his touch or nearness with appropriate suspicion.

"Oh no, I…" A soft gasp pulled through her mouth as his hands then lifted to cup around her upturned face and his forehead lowered to gently rest against hers. Both warm violet eyes slowly closed and his expression was almost painfully happy. "May this one hold you, before you go? This one promises he won't do anything more tonight." The nervous whisper was full of more emotion than Kaoru knew how to deal with, and her own joy, confusion and bottled sorrow coalesced without warning as she finally came to the correct conclusion about her deity's intentions. The touch of his fingers was so warm and thrilling, his voice so deep and rich, and her love for him rose to the surface first. This was what she had wanted and the world was suddenly bright and full of those possibilities that she had long since given up on. The knowledge was painful as well, though, and a soft sob broke through her unstable breathing as she fought with her still wide open eyes and the tears they wished to drown her in.

The noise must have startled him, because he pulled away from her, and she found herself staring into the mesmerizing starburst of his violet irises. Red brows knitted deeply together as tears collected and then fell heavily from Kaoru's uncertain sapphire eyes, and his thumbs brushed carefully upwards to remove the moisture from her cheeks as he frowned. "Perhaps this one misunderstood." The words were a painful rasp, and her lips trembled as she shook her head quickly to reassure. Her actions caused his eyes to become slightly more imposing, and she despaired to think she had turned such a wonderful moment into something awkward and uncomfortable. To hide her face and reassure her deity, Kaoru did the first thing that came to mind, which was to give into his wish. The abrupt embrace of his warmth against her was far too tempting, however, and she was unable to resist clinging to him as her heart wrenched in painful joy.

Y _ou haven't misunderstood, Tatsuyoshi-dono. The only thing that I want, the one thing I could not pray for, is for your heart to belong to me._

For a moment she feared that he might not have heard her prayer. What if her lack of devotion to him as her deity had severed that bond forever? Then she would have to explain her feelings aloud, and that was too much for her suddenly fragile heart to handle. Then his arms enfolded her in his embrace and his voice smiled with profound happiness. "It is yours, that it is. It has been yours for a long time." Soft, quivering sobs were muffled against his shoulder, and the frailty of her being became steady and sure. "Is that the true reason for your worry these past few weeks?" One hand petted the back of her head, and his voice had gentled in sorrowful empathy. "This one was not trying to be vague or misleading. He very much was trying to win your affections. This one thought you surely understood. You did say that you wanted to stay here forever, and we even received my father's approval."

A hysterical type of laughter was working at her lungs, and she hiccupped and sniffed as she attempted to keep her emotions under control. "I-I thought he was just letting me keep Hogosha." The sheepish declaration made him laugh, and she blushed in humiliation.

"His approval was not that simple. You have been accepted as one of us."

"W-what?" Kaoru lifted her head, and she stared as he lovingly freed her face of sorrow. _Is that why he started addressing me differently?_

"Once you are my bride, you will no longer be human. You will be as this one is."

"B-bride?!" _A confession of love and a marriage proposal all at once!_

Kenshin nodded seriously. "You have such immense energy that the transition will be easy, but this one has eased it further by sharing his midday meals with you." A frown of suspicion began to form on her face as she processed this new information, and he hurried to assure her. "What this one did is reversible. If you wish to stay human then you may, but…" His rushed words stopped suddenly and she quietly finished for him.

"But we cannot be married if I do?"

"That is correct." His shimmering violet eyes had lowered away from her, and she tentatively touched a hand to his chin. Her confession was soft and shy.

"An easy choice." The shaky sigh of relief that pushed from his chest brought a smile to her eyes. The answer had obviously pleased him as his embrace tightened and his forehead briefly descended on hers again. "May I stay with you?"

"This one certainly has no desire to live separate from his bride." The teasing statement hardly elicited the reaction he had hoped for.

"Of course, but… I meant now." She could feel his frown as his grip loosened and she ducked her head when he pushed a half step back between them.

"It will not be safe for you to stay with me until after our wedding. You are still human, and will not be fully spirit until the ceremony binds us."

"A-and how soon can we be married? Tomorrow?" The question birthed incredulous laughter from her deity, and her lips trembled as he didn't comprehend the depths of her unease.

"Are you really that eager? This one had planned to speak with your grandfather first." The mention of her grandfather brought her eyes quickly back to his, and he frowned. "Do you think he will not approve?" When she bit her lip and refused to look at him again his frown deepened. "Although this one does not wish to seem arrogant, this one is the deity of this realm. Is there another who could take better care of you?"

That he sounded offended would have been amusing, if the conversation wasn't so serious in her heart. "Grandfather doesn't care who I marry or if I'll be taken care of. His only interest is…" Her shoulders sagged in shame. "…monetary gain."

A trembling hand lifted her chin so that she was forced to look at him, and she cringed in the face of his startling amber eyes. "He is trying to sell you?"

"Not really sell. He merely wants compensation for his time. He wasn't meant to raise me, and he wants whoever marries me to compensate him for the care I've troubled him for these last four years. That's all." _Why am I defending him? He's as good as sold me already._

"A rather backwards idea." Kenshin seemed somewhat confused by the notion she had tried to convince him of. "But if that is what it takes, this one is certain he can earn his approval. Although, this one does not like the thought of buying you."

"I don't care if you have to steal me." His hand stroked her cheek, and she wrapped both of her own around his wrist. "I love you." She blushed furiously, but was earnest. "Now that I know you love me too, I can't go along with his plans. I won't."

"He has already found someone to buy you." She swallowed hesitantly, as there was less question and more anger in the statement he had made, but nodded against his palm in answer.

"A family from Suzu-machi. He should be home any day now with a representative from the family. I… I thought of running away, but that meant I would have to leave you, too."

 _That is why I had such a hard time reaching her in the Runaway Forest._ Kenshin forced a smile for her, though he hardly felt pleased with what she had just told him, and rested his forehead against her own. "This one will not allow you to be taken from his realm. It is a promise."

The vow seemed to relieve her, and she released a shaky breath before accepting his reassurance. "Thank you." They smiled at one another, and shared a much longer, sweeter embrace.

"Now go home and rest. When your grandfather arrives you will let him know to expect me. This one will take care of everything else."

X

Kaoru woke late the next morning, but as her mind slowly filtered through what was dream and what was reality she couldn't help the secret smile that took over her muscles. She was filled with nervousness and excitement, and she found that she took much longer dressing herself that morning than on any other. Never before had she taken such care about her looks, but today she wanted to be beautiful for her deity: for her love.

Obaasan had already prepared her basket and lunch box when she came into the kitchen, and the wonderful smile on Kaoru's face was reflected back at her with just a hint of wise suspicion. "What's going on outside, Obaasan? Everyone's abuzz about something."

"You haven't seen yet, Kaoru-chan?" A hand waved toward the back shoji. "The Deity must be very pleased this morning. I have never seen such a spectacle in all my long life."

Sapphire eyes blinked curiously and Kaoru turned to slide open the door to a world of unparalleled beauty and wonder. Flowers of every sort, color, and scent littered the forest floor, and trees bloomed well out of season. Fireflies, which were normally late evening creatures, flickered within the shadowed reaches of the trees, or perhaps they were faeries or some kind of beautiful spirits. Butterflies, attracted to the blossoms, fluttered about the air, and their multitude of colors blended and contrasted with the petals around them. Sweet birds sang good morning songs from the tree branches, and even the fruit trees had ripened and bore a hearty bounty for the village. The grass was lush and green for the livestock, the fields were without bugs or weeds, and the sun glowed softly out of the east with a gentle warmth like love.

A blush of embarrassment and joy burned Kaoru's ears, and she ducked her head away from Obaasan when she stepped up next to her. "It is a relief indeed to know that our Deity is this happy. He is such a wonderful being and takes such good care of our needs and lands. He too deserves to have his prayers answered, don't you think?"

A crease formed between Kaoru's brows, and she looked at Obaasan questioningly. "What do you think a deity would pray for, Obaasan?"

The old woman smiled kindly, and patted Kaoru on the head. "He is a powerful being that has lived for many years and will live for many, many years after this. I believe he would pray for what anyone would in such a position of great responsibility. A companion. To give him support and love as he has given his support and love to those within his realm for hundreds of years."

Kaoru's blush darkened. "Y-you think he has found such a companion?"

Now the old woman's smile was definitely mischievous. "Has he not?" A soft kiss was placed on her forehead, and Obaasan hugged her tight. "Be good to him, child. Your love is the only love he wishes to keep for himself."

"H-how did you know?"

"Well now, perhaps I prayed for it."

X

A/N: Alright! Well, they're finally on the same page, lol. And we finally get to see Kenshin confront Kaoru's grandfather about his plans to sell her off. Should be an interesting conversation. XD

There has been several times in my other stories where I've had reviewers inform me about how kissing is a Western thing and wasn't really brought over to Japan until a later time period. At that point in time in my life I don't think I was able to think about showing intimate affection without kissing, so it was hard for me to try and write love scenes without them. In order to test and educate myself, I attempted to write this entire chapter's intimate moments between them without kissing. Would you prefer that I ignore the actually history of Japan and keep the kissing (since most manga and anime artists seem to, lol), or do you prefer the authenticity of the time period and prefer the kissing be left out? I hope you continue to like and please leave a review! (I'm going to check the actually site from here on out like every day!)


	10. Fair Compensation

Thanks for all of the reviews! I really enjoyed reading everyone's opinion on the kiss aspect, and it was nice to see both sides of the argument so well laid out. I always keep this information in mind when I write, and I truly enjoy learning new things as it helps my writing grow. On a personal note, I believe fiction is just that. It's not real, therefore, why should it have to play by any rules? I've always believed this, even as a child, and was always confused when my teachers would get upset with me when I would not follow what they thought should be the rules of fiction when writing. I'll never forget my sixth grade teacher reprimanding me and giving me a low grade on a paper she told us could be fact or fiction, whichever we chose. When I chose fiction and made up a fanciful story about the Bermuda Triangle, she was rather nasty with me about it. She marked nothing that had to do with grammar or flow or sentence structure. Just that the Bermuda Triangle was not what I had imagined and that was the reason for the grade. I've been confused by these imaginary sets of rules ever since... Which is why it is always nice to know what the rules are so that I may follow or break them as I please. :) Thanks again for your reviews on this matter!

Disclaimer: Is it ever fair?

 **Chapter 10: Fair Compensation**

That day passed as if she were floating through a dream. At the end of it, however, everything crashed back into reality with a harshness that only her grandfather could summon. He arrived just before suppertime with his guest in tow. They were tired and travel stained, and bathed at their leisure before coming to the meal. Knots of anxiety tore at Kaoru's insides, even though Kenshin had informed her well in advance that he could detect her grandfather's presence back within his realm. She was supposed to inform her grandfather tonight that Kenshin would call in the morning after they had rested, but her voice failed her each time she was in close proximity with that man who hated it when she thought to speak to him about anything.

While they were to bathe he had instructed her to put on something more suitable than her shrine clothes. She knew what he was doing, and she had no desire to dress herself up to impress this stranger who thought to buy her for some spoiled son. She did as she was told, though, more out of habit than true obedience, and had been forced to sit through the meal and smile as if she cared about some town she was never going to see.

"Your granddaughter is quite beautiful, Hiruma-san. I've never seen such striking blue eyes before." Kaoru's face warmed with embarrassment even as she frowned down at her food. Others had complimented her eyes before, but she was not pleased to receive any compliments from this man. His words also strangely reminded her of the Sovereign Deity's interest, but he would have no knowledge of what the color of her eyes meant regarding her spiritual strength. "But she is older than I had expected. Is there some reason why she isn't already married that I should know of?" The turn in topic cast aside her suspicions and a slight smirk pulled at Kaoru's mouth. She blinked back the expression, though, and looked at her grandfather expectantly for his answer.

"Well, beautiful she most certainly is. I couldn't just let her marry anyone, certainly not the riffraff around here." It was hard not to make any kind of noise in response to that, but she succeeded in keeping her derision to herself. It was amusing enough that the man actually believed him.

After the meal Kaoru was to retire as the men moved to the engawa to speak at length about politics or whatever fancied their taste. Gathering her courage, Kaoru detained her grandfather before he could disappear from the dining table. "Grandfather." The call was breathless, and she swallowed when he turned a look of impatient displeasure on her. He quickly covered it with a smile for the benefit of their guest.

"What is it… dear?"

"May I speak with you privately before I go to bed?" Her hands fidgeted almost violently, and she felt more fear standing before the man who had housed her for the last four years than she had when standing before the yokai of the spirit realm.

An uncomfortable sounding chuckle was forced from his throat, and it made her flinch because it was so unnatural. "No doubt the young girl wishes to thank me for taking such good care in choosing her future husband. I will join you in a moment, good sir." The other man shrugged and left, and with the buffer gone her grandfather's features dropped into a deep scowl. "Make it quick. I'm attempting to secure you a rich husband. He's a whiny brat, but you'll only have to deal with him long enough to give him a son."

The easy way he dismissed the misery he planned to subject her to rekindled her anger towards him and she lifted her chin with a firm set jaw. "I won't marry that boy, Grandfather."

"What?" Something dangerous narrowed her grandfather's eyes, but she bravely continued.

"I've met someone. He's coming by tomorrow to talk to you and ask for your blessing."

"Who is this someone? Some boy from the village?"

Kaoru frowned. "No. We met in the forest and…" Kehei advanced on her so quickly that she stumbled and gasped when his hand slammed across her cheek.

"You little trollop!" The words were hissed from between his teeth as he attempted to keep their encounter from their guest. "You've been meeting up with some vagabond in the forest instead of attending to your duties as you should?! You're no better than your whore of a grandmother!"

"Kenshin isn't some vagabond! He's coming here to ask you properly, and he would never dishonor me in such a way!" Kaoru stood tall and proud, and glared at her grandfather for his horrible accusations. "And I know exactly what happened with Grandmother." The declaration fairly sent her grandfather into an unstable rage, and his hand slammed across her cheek a second time. This strike was hard enough to throw her into the table, and the edge of the hard surface connected with her cheekbone. For a moment Kaoru worried her eye would explode.

"Some vagabond living in the forest will not have my permission to marry you. You will be married to the Oshiro boy from Suzu-machi, and you will bear your duty to him in silence for the rest of your life no matter what he decides to do to you." A disgusted turn of his lip was aimed at her when she was able to sit herself upright, and he pushed air out of his nose in scorn. "No doubt this vagabond of yours wishes to move in here and thinks that I will support the both of you until I die. Well I will not have it. I have supported you more than enough, and I will be paid for my troubles."

He turned as it if it was the end of their conversation, but Kaoru had passed the point of fearing him now if all he could do was strike out like a weak man. "I'd rather live homeless in the forest than for one moment longer than I have to with you." She stood and ignored the fury on her grandfather's face. "Kenshin will be here tomorrow morning, whether you like it or not." With mock respect she bowed low. "Goodnight, Grandfather."

X

The pain in Kaoru's eye throbbed as she stood with a soft, wet cloth pressed to her cheek and smiled weakly at the disapproval on Obaasan's face. "Why didn't you take care of this last night? Your eye is nearly swollen shut now."

"Sorry, Obaasan. I kind of hoped that it might make that man think twice about wanting to buy me." Except he had said nothing, and had outright ignored her grotesquely swollen features. He had seemed a touch disgusted that morning, though.

"Silly girl." A disapproving click of the old woman's tongue pursed Kaoru's lips in a pout of irritation. It quickly disappeared when she explained her disappointment. "You gave no thought to how the Deity will react when he sees this, did you?" A small intake of breath into Kaoru's lungs made the old woman sigh. "I know you have no love for your Grandfather, but I also know that you don't truly wish harm upon him."

Obaasan was right, of course. Although Kenshin was a loving and gentle deity, there were moments when she felt something much more dangerous in him. That time she had witnessed him with sword drawn, for instance, or when his eyes glowed with a strange golden light. He was not a human man who might react with angry words at the sight of his beloved's pain, or start a fight simply to defend her honor. He was a deity with power greater than she knew. She couldn't even fathom what his anger might be like.

The swelling had barely gone down when she heard a commotion outside, and her heart leapt to know that the man she loved, the deity who had chosen her as his bride, was allowing others to see him just to formally ask for her family's blessing. Of course it was a formality he did not have to follow. He could have demanded her. He could have taken her. He could have spirited her away without thought or care of how the world would have reacted to her sudden absence. Kaoru would have freely gone, too, but he loved her and he wished to honor her properly. It fairly made her glow with overwhelming emotion.

Her grandfather's eyes spoke of disapproval, but also sly amusement. She could see it on his face that he thought to humiliate her and the boy he thought she was sneaking around with. When he slid aside the front shoji, however, he found not some vagabond as he had thought, but a regally dressed deity standing in his yard. The entire village was gathered behind him, and their eyes were fairly popping from their skulls as they whispered in amazement and curiosity. Kehei froze in place and stared in shock, and it wasn't until the guest that was staying within his house spoke up that he finally reacted.

"Who is this man, Hiruma-san? He is a bit overdressed for a house call."

Kehei turned on the man so fast that Kaoru, from down the hall, twitched in surprise. "Curb your tongue. This is the Great Guardian Deity of our forest!"

"A deity?" He studied the Deity with a morbid sort of curiosity, but bowed his head respectfully enough when Kehei did.

"Hiruma Kehei. This one has come to call upon you and your house. Will you offer me your hospitality?"

"It would be my honor, Tatsuyoshi-dono!" A hand waved in Kaoru's direction, and she gratefully disappeared back into the kitchen to assist with tea and snacks. The reprieve had allowed her more time to figure out how to hide her eye. If she angled her body just so, she could possibly hide her bruised face from view while they spoke and she served. Nervousness crowded back into her stomach, and she bit her lip as she watched Obaasan set the tray.

Kenshin followed the man who was Kaoru's grandfather into his home and to an open room already set up with two cushions. No doubt this was where he thought to barter with his guest for Kaoru's worth. The serene expression stayed in place on his features, but disgust bubbled in the back of his throat. "Please sit." Kehei indicated that both of his guests were to take the cushions while he as the host went to procure a new one for himself. As they settled themselves, Kenshin turned his head to study the other man from Suzu-machi. He smiled, and seemed a touch idiotic, but there was intelligence in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide.

"Forgive me for staring, Tatsuyoshi-dono. We have no deity in Suzu-machi, nor a shrine close enough to us for visits from our people. I am very fortunate to have met you, when I wasn't even sure that I believed any deities existed."

"Where is this Suzu-machi?" The man explained the geography of the location, and the direction one would have to travel to get there. Kenshin nodded his head gravely. "You once had a deity, but he was not loved by his people and so they stopped praying to him. Without prayer or offerings our strength is diminished and we can no longer offer our services to the lands under our care."

Kehei finally sat himself before the both of them, and Kenshin averted his attention back to his host. "If I had known you were coming, Tatsuyoshi-dono, I would have prepared a more suitable welcome. I hope you will forgive me my appearance and the simple offerings of tea."

Kenshin frowned. "Kaoru-dono did not inform you of my intent to appear before you today?" There was disbelief in the words, and Kehei was briefly surprised by the declaration before he chuckled dryly.

"I'm afraid she did not mention it, My Lord. You will have to forgive her as well, she has been preoccupied with the choosing of her husband." Inside Kehei thought to flog the girl a few more times for thinking her bouts of lust with some vagabond was more important than telling him that their very deity was going to show for a visit. The Deity never showed himself to the people under his care, and Kehei would now be the envy of the entire village. His place among them had just risen considerably.

Kaoru had entered the room at the same moment her grandfather sent her a glare for what he thought she had not told him. She ducked her head, not in shame, but to allow the hair Obaasan had helped her place hide the disfigurement of her eye and cheek. Thankfully Kenshin did not turn to look at her, and she settled herself on her knees at an angle that would place her swollen side away from her beloved's eyes.

Kenshin spared a glance at Kaoru, and from her posture guessed that she had indeed told her grandfather of his arrival, but he had either not believed her or ignored her. "No matter, Hiruma-san. This one is here now to speak on that very subject."

"Is that true?" Kehei seemed surprised, and he too darted a look at his granddaughter as she served their tea. His face glowered briefly. "Has she prayed to you about it and requested your assistance so passionately that you would personally come to answer her prayer? Or are you here on behalf of another?" Had the vagabond no spine to show himself? He obviously had no great love for his granddaughter if he could not even come on his own.

Kenshin smiled. "In a manner of speaking, and no. This one is here on behalf of himself to have Kaoru-dono as his bride." Kaoru's face burned to hear those words spoken aloud in front of others even as the rest of the room froze in shock. The Deity seemed pleased by the reaction, and even reached a hand out to gently touch her chin. "She, as well, stubbornly misunderstood my affections as mere kindness until just recently, so your surprise is not unexpected. However, this one will have no one else as his bride, and he is prepared to do whatever is necessary to convince her last remaining relative to allow her to be spirited away by a deity."

For a second Kaoru forgot what she was attempting to hide and glanced up at Kenshin with all the love that was in her heart. That second was all it took, however, and dread filled her in that next moment as the warm and affectionate smile on her beloved's face chilled. The expression stayed in place, so the others did not notice the change in him, but the gentle violet eyes of her deity hardened like diamonds as he looked upon the mark Kehei had left on her face.

Laughter broke the tension, and Kaoru fled the room with her empty tray when her grandfather waved a dismissing hand at her. She had seen and correctly interpreted the look of exultation on her grandfather's face. Bitterness washed through her, because she knew he thought to abuse Kenshin's love for her just to demand more money than he deserved. The bitterness was followed closely by uncertainty. Perhaps her grandfather's plans would have worked before Kenshin had seen her face, but now there was no way to tell how her deity would react.

It was the man from Suzu-machi that had laughed, and it was long and loud. Kehei smiled indulgently, but Kenshin's eyes never once left his host. "I can tell when to give up a fight, and I have wandered farther into a losing battle than I should have liked. Why didn't you tell me, Hiruma-san, that the competition was so fierce?" The man had every right to be indignant, but instead he found the situation amusing.

"Now, now. I myself was not aware that my granddaughter had such a suitor. In fact, you will forgive me, Tatsuyoshi-dono, but I have already entered into an agreement with this man and his family. You understand my position, do you not?"

A slight frown had won Kenshin's expression, but it transitioned easily into a gracious look as the Great Deity nodded his head. "Of course. This one understands perfectly."

The other man seemed taken aback, almost more so than he should have been to have supposedly won so easily. "Now Hiruma-san. Have you thought this through? I mean…"

With a bit more harshness than was warranted, three stacks of slim gold bars, five high, were settled onto the floor before the Deity. Kehei had the decency to look scandalized, but the other man lifted a brow and seemed impressed. It was only then that Kenshin finally smiled again. "This one is quite aware of your family history, Hiruma Kehei. It would take a very _gracious_ man indeed to take in and raise the grandchild you never knew after such a dishonor was done to you by her grandmother. You have no responsibility towards her, and yet you have fed her, clothed her, given her a place to stay, and have even gone out of your way to make certain she is married into a respectable family." At this point he indicated the other man, who accepted the compliment. "You deserve fair compensation for your troubles, and of course, the knowledge that your granddaughter will be without want for the rest of her life. Such a burden taken from your mind would allow you to live out the rest of your days in the peace and comfort that you deserve."

At first Kehei had appeared uncomfortable with his family history being brought into the conversation, but as the Deity's reasoning sounded more and more sensible he relaxed into self-assured victory. It was right where Kenshin wanted him.

The other man stood when Kehei's eyes swung apologetically to him, and he laughed again with arms lifted. "Have no fear, I withdraw my offer. I know when I am thoroughly beaten. If it is alright with you, I will stay another night and leave in the morning." He bowed out of the negotiations, and left Kenshin with Kaoru's grandfather alone in the room.

"Your concern and forethought is appreciated, Great Deity, but you do understand that my granddaughter's welfare and happiness is most important to me." He sounded sincere enough, but his eyes had not left the gold and Kenshin almost felt pity. Kaoru's swollen face kept the emotion from blossoming completely.

"Which is exactly why this one will not insult you with such a paltry gift." The gold disappeared, and Kehei's eyes widened in desperate anxiety of their departure.

"What?"

Kenshin smiled as if nothing were wrong. "It was necessary for the other man to leave before this one could name his true offer. It is a priceless gift that outshines all the gold that this one could set before you, and trust me, Hiruma-san, this one could pile mountains of gold at your feet if he so desired, that this one certainly could." Kehei's dark eyes shone with greed, and his hands grasped in his lap as if to gather up all of the imaginary gold in his mind.

"You do me a great honor! What such gift is worth so much?"

To stall and build suspense in the man he planned to humble, Kenshin took a sip of his tea. When he spoke, his voice dropped into a deep baritone of rage. "Your life." Kehei's drooling joy was cut short by abrupt fear, and his eyes focused on the dark, amber eyes of his deity. His presence was no longer the harmless one of before, but was dangerous and felt somehow larger. "Though it is worth nothing to anyone else but you. Right now your life belongs to me and I would rip it from your body just to satisfy my need for reparation. I doubt you were aware of your actions when you struck my bride, but neither do I doubt your satisfaction at her pain. What you should understand is that no one will ever again harm her without answering to me. Not even her grandfather." In the face of this overwhelming change in his Guardian Deity, Kehei flattened himself to the floor and begged for forgiveness, but mostly for his life.

"I will make this offer to you only once, Hiruma Kehei, because I am fully aware of the true history of your family. You who tried to sell your own wife for a night. You who were abandoned by that same woman with your unborn child inside of her. You who lied to the rest of the village and claimed she had left you for some other man. You who never once met your own son until the day of his funeral. I know the kind of man you are, and I know that your own life is worth more to you than anyone or anything else. Therefore, in exchange for Kaoru's freedom from your grasp, I offer you your life. I will not kill you for striking her, nor will I seek restitution for her pain. This I offer to you as your _fair_ compensation. Are you in agreement?"

"Y-yes. Yes, My Lord."

"Good. Then also understand that this offer only covers this one grievance that you have committed. If you are to ever strike or attempt to harm her again, I will claim what is mine."

X

A/N: So, I may have unintentionally misled everyone into thinking Obaasan is Kaoru's grandmother. It wasn't my intention, but no harm done. :) While Obaasan is used to address one's grandmother, it can also be used to address an old woman. Everyone in the village calls Obaasan, "Obaasan." I thought it might add a little mystery to her character since no one seems to know her name, not even Kenshin as you will discover in the next chapter. This wasn't to assign any great task towards the story for her, but only to emphasize that everyone has their own story that might not be immediately told or known. Since I wanted this story to be more like a folktale, I am only focusing on the two main characters of that folktale. I've always liked that this kind of story leaves things open in some ways to the imagination. Please leave a review! They're so awesome to read! Oh, and, what was up with the representative? He seemed a little weird...


	11. The Bride of The Forest God

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! I'm glad everyone has appreciated this gentle, short story! Please continued to read, and I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

 **Chapter 11: The Bride of the Forest God**

Kaoru fidgeted nervously as Obaasan once more pressed a cool cloth over the swollen part of her face. The man from Suzu-machi had left the room only a minute after she had, and the strange look of barely contained triumph on his face had concerned her. He had offered her a low bow of respect from the other side of the hall, though, which had been equally as confusing. What had happened in there? What was her beloved and her grandfather talking about now that the third man had left? And why did that third man appear to be so pleased with the outcome?

The shoji to the kitchen slid aside and Kaoru jerked her one good sapphire eye in its direction to find Kenshin standing framed in the doorway. He smiled politely at Obaasan, who bowed and stepped back at his entrance. The Deity stopped before his bride-to-be, and the crease of his features spoke of sympathy for her discomfort. Despite a desperate search of his face, though, she could find no anger. Had he already been appeased? And what of their future?

"Let this one." Gently his fingers caressed the blotchy red spots on one side of her face, and the swollen tissue on the other. Slowly the disfigurement and pain disappeared, and her skin returned to its beautiful, pale sheen of before. "Is that better?"

Surprised fingers touched her own cheekbone, and then dark hair slid forward as she ducked her head and nodded. "Yes, thank you." Tentatively she glanced up at him through her bangs, and then sideways at Obaasan who had turned her back to them and was preparing lunch. "My grandfather?"

Just barely the muscles around his left eye twitched, but he succeeded in smiling. "Has decided that it would be best if you were to be my bride, that he did. The man from Suzu-machi will leave tomorrow. Which reminds me." The tense smile on his face became genuine as the subject changed, and he reached a hand into his kimono. "This one brought you a gift."

The news that she was going to marry her beloved without conflict was pleasing enough, and Kaoru blinked incredulously as the small piece of cloth he pulled from his sleeve turned abruptly into a large kimono box. "This one would like for you to wear this for our wedding, that he would." His brows twitched this time in shocking nervousness. "If that is alright. This one knows you should traditionally wear something of your family's, but this one suspects that you are no longer in possession of any such heirlooms."

When Kaoru appeared unable to speak through her happiness, Obaasan accepted the box with a glad smile. "Of course she will wear it, Tatsuyoshi-dono. I will help her with it."

"You have my thanks, Obaasan." For a moment he studied her thoughtfully, and then reached a hand back into his sleeve and withdrew something else. "It is quite clear to me who has truly cared for Kaoru-dono since her arrival in my realm, and this one is eternally grateful to you for being such an attentive guardian."

Obaasan's eyebrows shot up, but she blushed and smiled happily as she found a place to sit the kimono for temporary safekeeping. "She is an adorable and easily loveable child. It was no chore at all." It was Kaoru's turn to blush, and she hugged Obaasan when the old woman returned to her side.

"This one does not understand your arrangement in this house. Are you indentured to Hiruma Kehei, or is there another reason that would keep you here when he shows you no appreciation?" The old woman said nothing, and no expression on her face gave her away. "You have never prayed about it either, and this one would very much like to repay you for your kindness towards Kaoru-dono. In that regard," his hand reached out and placed one stack of the slim gold bars on the counter next to the old woman, "this one will not pry, but he will offer you this if it would help."

"I could not accept." Her eyes didn't even glance at the gold, and the Deity was pleased with her reaction. "You are doing enough by taking Kaoru-chan from this place and promising a loving environment for her."

"You should keep it anyway. Perhaps you will find something worthwhile to spend it on. This one suspects that the owner of this house may wish to live elsewhere after today." Violet eyes glanced around the interior of the kitchen as if looking at the house itself, and then smiled and extended a hand to Kaoru. "Will you walk me out, Kaoru-dono?"

"Of course." With her hand in his they walked back down the hall towards the front entrance. There was still a murmur of voices outside as if the villagers were waiting for him to leave. Inside, however, they were alone.

"From now until our wedding you must continue to share this one's midday meal, as well as this one's morning meal. It will make the ceremony easier for you."

"Alright." Kaoru blushed as his thumb brushed back and forth across the heel and thumb of her own hand. "When will that be?"

"Five days should be long enough." They stopped in front of the door, and his free hand cupped her cheek. "There shall be many guests from my world, which means it will be a rather grand affair. What of you, would you like to invite the villagers?"

"Can they come?"

The Deity stared at her in mock intensity. "May this one hold you later?"

Kaoru bit her lip to hide her smile. "Yes."

When her beloved smiled her heart lifted, and his arm wrapped around her shoulders as he turned them both towards the door. "Let us ask them together."

X

The onmyoji released his disguise once he was outside of the Forest Deity's realm, and he shook as if to free himself from the disgusting image he had taken. Everything was going as planned, and he closed his eyes to enjoy a moment of relief that he had pulled off his part without being caught. It had been a touch frightening sitting so close to the Deity, especially after the Deity had discovered that old man's sickening abuse of his shrine maiden. A part of him hoped the Deity repaid the old man in kind, but he tried not to allow that part of himself to interfere with his mission. Such sentiments fostered attachments, and he could not afford that.

The real man that Kaoru's grandfather was supposed to have met with from Suzu-machi would be waking up from his spelled slumber soon. He would not remember the onmyoji, and instead had false memories of meeting with Hiruma Kehei and deciding against accepting his granddaughter as a worthy bride. It had been perhaps unnecessary, but he did not want to chance any interruptions or hiccups now that everything was finally coming to fruition. That man had not seemed like someone who would graciously accept defeat, even to a deity.

"Just a little longer, Tomoe. Just wait for me a little longer."

X

Jitters and nervousness twitched just underneath the surface of Kaoru's skin, and her stomach flopped again as she tried not to wrinkle the beautiful white kimono that Kenshin had gifted to her. The palanquin that she rode in rocked gently from side to side as the wedding procession made its way slowly through the forest and to the shrine at its center. The noise outside was boisterous and merry, and Kaoru blushed as she thought of everything the village had done for her.

Normally the wedding trousseau would have consisted of items from the bride's family to be given to the groom as part of her dowry. Since everything that her father had owned was now gone, and she had nothing to offer but herself, the townsfolk had handcrafted most of the gifts now being carefully taken to the shrine. There were beautiful silks from the seamstress, heavy fruits and rice from the farmers, a few elegant pieces of furniture and chests from the merchant, as well as prepared foods and alcohol. It was by no means an expensive or flashy dowry, but Kaoru was overjoyed by their generosity when she was not even truly of their village. Halfway to the shrine, though, and a new surprise met the procession.

A swarm of deities and spirits came from the trees and naturally fell into place with the villagers. Though there were soft gasps or noises of shock, everyone was either too stunned to shout or too awed to breathe. New gifts and chests were added to the dowry, and they consisted of jewels and screens and many other lavish items that Kaoru had never thought to lay eyes on. As she peeked through the drapes shielding her from view and stared in amazement at the guests of her groom, she was surprised to find the tall deity named Sano winking back.

The ceremony was conducted by the Sovereign Deity himself, and the simple shrine that Kaoru had grown used to felt much grander and full of a presence that humbled all of the humans attending. Kaoru was so nervous throughout the entire affair that she remembered little of what the Sovereign Deity said, but she would never forget the feeling of love and joy that welled inside of her when she accepted the saucer of sake from her new husband's hands and their eyes locked over the top of the small red cup. Nor would she forget the nausea that welled inside of her immediately afterwards.

Kenshin had warned her that the transition would not be kind, but Kaoru suddenly wondered how she was going to finish the rest of the ceremony without either passing out or being sick. Supposedly, due to the strength and immensity of her own spiritual power, her transition would be kinder than others. Over the wavering of her vision and the sickness flooding her entire being, Kaoru felt pity for those others that had to bear the entire burden of the transition without any spiritual energy. When they stood and presented themselves to their guests, Kaoru was aware of the strength Kenshin had to put into keeping her upright, but also the hand that settled gently at her back. Embarrassment joined her swirling sensations of lightheadedness and nausea, but she could do little but follow her husband's lead as he slowly and carefully guided her through the throng of people.

Obaasan helped her into her wedding kosode, a traditional gift from the groom, and then she was finally allowed to kneel on a fluffy cushion next to him. A wonderful party of drinking, singing, and laughter started up to celebrate their union, and the humans and spirits mingled without prejudice or barrier for one joyful night. Kenshin stayed attentive to her throughout the affair, and though the humans did not fully understand what was happening, all of the deities were very much aware and sensitive to her change. Their voices were soft when they spoke to her, and they did not converse in any way that would require her to answer. Kaoru was aware of their words but she could not focus on them or their actions. If she tried her nausea worsened, as did the violent revolutions of the spinning world. Instead she focused with all her might on Kenshin's hand, and on not leaning too heavily into the shoulder pressed against her own.

After what felt like hours, the murkiness that shrouded her mind and senses sharpened just as suddenly as it had dulled. The colors of the world became rich in a way she had never witnessed, the smell of the forest had taste and life, and her awareness expanded to include that which she had no words for. Even the very beat of her heart felt like the thrum of the earth beneath her, and as she focused in awe and wonder on the deepest part of the woods between the trees she felt power tingle beneath her fingertips and electrify the small fly-a-ways of her hair. It rumbled the very air and made her feel alive in a way she had never known was possible. Leaves shivered just to greet her, the small clumps of dirt on the ground vibrated in excitement, and the beating became louder and louder in a dynamic crescendo.

Before it crested violently, a hand covered her eyes and she was pulled safely into her husband's embrace. A hushing noise whispered against her hair, and Kaoru was finally aware of the deathly silence that had filled the clearing of the shrine. Not a soul stirred, and fear instantly flooded her heart as she fisted both hands into Kenshin's kimono and trembled. What had she done? Had she failed to assimilate the power of a deity? Had it instead escaped her to run wild? Was she going to be allowed to stay with Kenshin, even if she couldn't be what he was?

A larger hand touched the back of her head and she unwillingly gave up the safety of her husband's chest to look up at the Sovereign Deity. His deep black eyes studied her intently, but it took barely a couple of seconds before he nodded as if pleased. "You are certainly quite adept, young one." His eyes abruptly looked over her head. "And you are quite lucky to have found such a bride. Make sure you guide her well." When he left, she glanced up at Kenshin who smiled gently.

"What happened?"

"You tapped into the energy of my forest." The astounding statement widened Kaoru's glowing sapphire eyes, but what was most astonishing was the pride in her husband's voice. "For someone untrained, it should have been impossible. Especially since you have only just received the right by becoming my bride."

"I'm sorry."

"As my wife the energy will also be yours. It is not inexhaustible, however, so this one will teach you when and how it is to be properly used." Kaoru nodded and then glanced out over the still quiet gathering. One wide sweep of her luminous sapphire eyes, though, had a most unexpected effect. The present spirits and deities all bowed their heads in acknowledgement of her equality. She was now one of them, and deserved their respect. The humans, however, seemed to finally understand the difference in her, and slowly, one by one, lowered themselves to the ground to bow to their new deity.

"Seiryu-dono." The name as well as title was foreign coming from all of her friends and neighbors, but though Kaoru knew it should feel that way, she felt only acceptance and a sense of comfort. In that moment Kaoru of the village ceased to be, and no new generations would ever know the true name of the blue dragon bride of their guardian deity.

X

A/N: Well, the cat's out of the bag about the onmyoji. :) Did everyone catch on to who he is? I very rarely use him in my stories, and it was fun getting to turn the tables on their usual situation. Despite his role in this story, I can't bring myself to hate him, and therefore couldn't really write him as a nasty character. :P

Sorry this chapter was so short, but since the story is rather short itself, we are nearing the end! Ah no! I'm not used to this! A few of you were concerned about Kaoru's grandfather possibly coming back. I had entertained that thought myself when I was writing the story, but it made things very complicated. Besides, I think Kenshin may have made him pee himself, lol! So much so, that he even moved away! As for the rest of Kaoru's family, due to the nature of my story, I left this very open for your own interpretation. Please imagine whatever scenario that you like the best! For myself, since Kaoru had to come back to live with her grandfather, it means that both of her parents and her grandmother have passed on. I actually never imagined that anyone in her family was very special in terms of spiritual powers. I wanted Kaoru to be an anomaly. (Perhaps where she was born actually made the difference, or what day in astrology, something like that.) As I said, though, I want you to come up with a scenario that you really like. You can share or not, if you like. I would be very interested to read your take on it! See you in the next!


	12. A Delay Worth the Risk

It's early, but please enjoy! (Don't worry, when I said it was almost done, I meant there were still three more chapters. :)

Disclaimer: Delaying won't make the truth any different.

 **Chapter 12: A Delay Worth the Risk**

Kaoru woke up alone on the oversized, fluffy futon in their bedroom. Though she had gotten used to it over the past two months, she still pouted as she ran her hand along the empty, cool bedding where her husband fell asleep in the evenings. In the beginning he had woken her with him, and they had gone out into the forest together so that she could learn to control her new deity powers and assist him with his duties. That had lasted throughout most of the winter months, but Kaoru was beginning to realize that Kenshin was much more of a doting husband than she would have thought.

A slight smile crept onto her lips, and she turned to sit up. A light noise of exertion rubbed against her throat, and she had to catch her breath once she was upright as unfamiliar pressure pushed solidly against her ribs. This time a frown creased her features, and she had to fully concentrate on standing up to dress. Breakfast was served to her by a pleasant raccoon dog, and then she slowly shuffled her way down the hall to the door that would lead her out of the shrine and into her husband's forest.

The chill air of spring touched her skin and she smiled happily at the new buds of leaves and birdsong. The forest had such life now, much more than before her wedding to its guardian deity, and it gladdened her heart each time she became aware of the difference. Just as Obaasan had said, their deity was happy, and it was a wonderful thing for all. The leftover taint from the onmyoji had been purified immediately following their union, and when winter had set in, all was carefully tucked in for sleep and hibernation.

There had been no new attacks from the onmyoji since their marriage, and Kaoru was concerned. She could tell that Kenshin was as well, but he tried his hardest not to let her know. It irked her at times that he still wanted to keep things from her and shield her from hardship, because now she was his equal as his wife and she was meant to bear his burdens with him. Over time she was hoping to make him see that. He was an old being, after all, and had endured many things on his own. He was no doubt unused to having another support him.

A young boy from the village was already at the shrine attending to the duties that she used to perform. He was an orphan child that had wandered into their forest from another village and had been taken in by Obaasan. Immediately following her marriage to the deity, Kaoru's grandfather had moved away. With Kenshin's offering of gold, Obaasan had decided to buy the house and stay in the village she loved. It wasn't too long after that she began using the rest of the gold to take in orphans and raise them in a healthy and safe environment. This particular young boy had taken a liking to the shrine, and it had much to do with Kaoru herself finding him and bringing him to Obaasan. She had concealed her presence from him, as Kenshin had taught her to, but Obaasan had told him the story of their forest and the bride that now resided in it. Now he attended to the shrine to repay the bride's kindness.

With careful steps, Kaoru left the shrine and trekked down the trail to her favorite rock by the lake. She could no longer lift herself up to sit on the larger stone, but the smaller one was just the right height for her to settle comfortably on without much exertion. It was there that her husband found her late in the morning.

"This one was certain he would find you here." There was amusement in his voice, and she turned with a smile to greet him.

"I like this spot." His arms enfolded her comfortably, and she leaned into his chest as she returned her shifting sapphire eyes to the lake. "It's where I first saw you."

"Hmm." Lightly, as if almost afraid, his hand touched the round bulge of her stomach. There was reverence in the glancing caress as well as continued surprise and wonder. Kaoru hadn't understood why at first, but she was better aware now of the strange reaction her husband had to the mere thought of their child growing so strong inside of her. It was extremely rare for deities to have offspring, especially offspring that were conceived almost immediately after marriage. Kaoru herself didn't consider their conception to have been that immediate, but that was due to the still human thoughts that she harbored. She was only four months along, and they had been married for nine.

Both of his arms returned to wrap around her shoulders and he squeezed. "This one is very pleased, that he is, to have such a beautiful and loving wife. You have given this one more happiness than he has ever known. He hopes… that he has made you just as happy."

Kaoru touched a hand to the arms across her chest and leaned her forehead against his chin. "I am happy." A shy but teasing smile quirked her mouth, and she reached up higher to touch his cheek. "That I most certainly am." A quiet laugh shook his chest and he buried his nose in her hair.

"Be careful of the habits you pick up from this one. My speech has always annoyed the Sovereign Deity, that it has."

Kaoru was soon released from his embrace so that Kenshin could return to his duties. He refused to let her help him now that she was carrying their child. All of her energy needed to be used towards the baby's growth. Which meant she could not spare any extra for other concerns. It was a little frustrating, but she had conceded after it appeared that her husband would not be swayed. In return for her acquiescence, he doted on her even more than before. For Kaoru it was embarrassing, but she no longer had to secretly revel in his attention and so enjoyed every bit of the love he gave.

It was nearing lunch when she finally pushed herself away from the rock and put a hand over the small ache in her back. All too soon she could see herself unable to walk down to the lake, or feel comfortable without a cushion. A small part of her even looked forward to a little more fussing from her husband as her stomach grew larger. If she was having troubles now, she couldn't imagine what it was going to feel like when she was further along. Those foot rubs in the evenings were already wonderful.

When Kaoru turned back towards the trail she was startled to find that she was not alone, and a touch of fear pierced her heart as the onmyoji stared back at her from a short distance away. His dark eyes were staring not at her face but at the roundness of her belly, and there was a pained smile on his lips that creased his forehead deeply. "Somehow I knew that you would be capable of having a child, as well."

Instinctively her hand went to her obi where Hogosha usually rested, and remembered too late that Kenshin had taken that from her as well. Hogosha required spiritual energy, even while in its dormant state, and he would not risk that affecting their child. Although the weapon had been sad to be left in their home, it had glowed brightly for her, as if to show comfort, and then went to sleep to await her return.

"It was risky to wait this long, but I knew." As before his hand lifted and she knew what would happen next. She tried to reach into the reserves of power from the forest, but even her spiritual powers were slow to answer her call now that she was pregnant. Before the darkness claimed her, she was only able to plant a notion of danger into the wellspring. As the onmyoji conjured a beast to carry them away, the forest reacted to the threat and rattled in anger.

X

Kenshin's head snapped around and he stared with such murderous intensity that the forest sprites assisting him cowered and flitted away. The branches of the trees were whipping about in rage, and as the wave of energy crossed over him and threw itself against his being he understood why. His forest loved their new bride as much as he did, and it was not pleased that she felt threatened even in the slightest.

Without a moment of hesitation, Kenshin threw himself into the air even as his body was still in the midst of contorting into his true form. The golden scales of his body glowed as he shot through the air towards the lake, and to the village he appeared to be a shooting star skipping through the trees. He landed with force near the shore and shook the ground with his strength, but the rock and trail were already empty without a trace of his wife and child. Whatever had taken her, it had shielded its presence so that it would be able to enter and leave without detection. With a rake of his claws through the air Kenshin cut through the shielding with ease, and growled as the disgusting scent of the onmyoji filled his nostrils. _How did he get so close to her without me knowing?!_

Another leap into the sky set him after the omnyoji and his wife. Once he caught up with them, he would make sure to permanently rectify the situation so that he would never have to worry about the cursed man hurting Kaoru again.

X

When Kaoru woke from her forced slumber she was nauseous and felt strange. The last time the omnyoji had used his power on her in the spirit realm she had felt nothing upon waking. This time was different, though, and she placed a hand protectively over her swollen stomach as her vision swam and her world refused to steady. Something was wrong, and as her breath labored and sweat collected at the nape of her neck and temples she worried first and foremost for the safety of her child. Whatever was affecting her would affect her child twice as harsh. In her protective mother's heart, that would not be allowed.

The rough beating of the creature's wings that was carrying them jolted her body unkindly, but the hand wrapped firmly around her arm kept her on its back. Kaoru didn't know how long she had been out, but the slowly sinking sun gave her a hint. It had been much too long, and the landscape was foreign. By now, she was sure Kenshin had noticed her absence. Dark lashes squeezed shut and she fought her trembling lip as she thought on how much trouble she was causing him. He was going to be so angry, and she remembered once again that as a deity his wrath would be much different than that of a human's.

A wrenching lurch upset her already precarious position as the beast landed, and she nearly slid from its back. Fortunately, the iron-like grip of her captor saved her from such a fate, and she was instead lowered carefully to the hard ground. Before she was able to push herself up to look around the beast had already disappeared, and she cautiously leaned herself away from the man standing over her. The long shadows cast by the setting sun veiled his features from sight, but there was a sad twist to his mouth as he stared down upon her. Instinctively her hand had curled once more over her stomach, and she was unaware of the challenging glare hardening her face.

"Do you hate me?" Heavy silence was his answer as her amazing blue eyes sparked with power. "I see." His chin lowered and his voice turned soft. "It is a justified hatred. After all, I plan to do to you the same thing that was done to me." He stepped forward and she cringed but readied herself bravely. His second step paced around her, however, and she jerked so that her back was never to him. It was only then, with the sweeping of her gaze, that she realized where they were. Or rather, what they were surrounded by.

A shuddering gasp filled her lungs as she swung her shocked irises back and forth between one tombstone and the next. There were dozens of them, some uniformly lined together, others sporadic and unkempt. When she finally settled her gaze back on him, she found his posture slumped and defeated. Before him stood a single, unremarkable stone. The poor quality of the marker spoke of the family's class in life, but the sparkling state of that stone told a story of the love they had shared. Tenderly the man's hand stroked the top of the tombstone.

"My wife is buried here." Kaoru's sharp gaze darted upwards to stare at the back of the man's bowed head. "For almost five years now." Sorrowfully the words dropped from his mouth, as if they had been waiting all those years to be free. "Everyone said she was a cold beauty. Not like you who are so warm and bright. But they never saw her passion for life. Only I saw her for who she really was. They mistook her silence for dispassion and shunned her. To them she was a perfect doll to look upon, but to me… she was my world." The hand resting lightly atop the stone trembled and fisted. "And that _bastard_ took her from me!"

When he turned upon her this time, the setting sun illuminated all of the disgust and hatred on his face. The deep pits of his black eyes spoke of blind rage, and in a sudden terrifying revelation, Kaoru knew he was no longer looking at her. "He had no right to spirit her away! She was my wife! She promised herself to me and me alone! What right do they have to any of us?! We are not their servants! We are not their toys to play with as they please! We have to fight for every inch of our happiness! They think we owe them everything, but they did not give her to me! I earned her love! We nurtured our happiness together! With our own strength! The life that was growing inside of her was proof!" The words choked inside of his throat, and Kaoru gasped in sympathetic pain. A harsh swallow hardened his resolve and he stood from his hunched position to tower over her once more. "But I know how to get them back."

The nausea was beginning to overwhelm her, but she fought the darkness that was creeping into the edges of her sight as the man stepped toward her. She could see it clearly now in his gaze. Insanity had taken him long ago, and though she felt pity for his story, she would never allow her empathy to place her child in danger. "I found it, you see. There is a way to bring them back from the other side. I had to wait for you for so long, and you… you are amazing, I'll admit. But I won't let anything stand in the way of my family. You alone would have brought back my wife, but…" Slowly his dark eyes slid over her frame and stayed upon her swollen belly. "your life for hers… and your child for mine. It was a gamble, but the delay was more than worth the risk."

 _Kenshin! Please! He… he… he's going to kill our baby!_ The solid weight of the blue stone she still kept tucked inside her kimono began to burn against her body, and she could feel the outline of its dragon shape on her skin. Power surged through her core, and a purely instinctive will to protect overpowered everything else. _You are no longer a human, either._ The unbidden thought ripped through her head like an inferno and her shifting sapphire eyes were swallowed by blue flame.

x

A/N: Maybe the onmyoji was someone you didn't expect? Either way, I'll confirm his identity in the next chapter. This chapter was a little shorter, but the last two chapters will be longer to make up for it. I hope you enjoy until the very end, and please leave a review! Thank you very much!


	13. A Deity's Boundary

A strange, unrelated thought occurred to me this morning as I was lying in bed trying to fall back asleep at 3 am. (I usually have the worst time trying to sleep when my brain decides it's time to daydream about plot lines! lol) As I laid there thinking about what new and wonderful fun I could twist around my favorite characters, I wondered, guiltily I might add, what my husband really thinks of me writing about this long-haired redhead that is much smaller and scrawnier than he is, by far. I freely share my stories with him, and do not hide the fact that I love to write mostly about these two characters. It was then that I realized, in quiet shock!, that my husband is actually... a redhead! He keeps his hair very short, and it is therefore rather dark on his head. But his beard! When he hasn't shaved his face for awhile, which happens quite often, his facial hair is a very deep, and rather attractive, rusty red color. Now don't get me wrong, I've known my husband is a redhead since the day we first started dating, but it just never occurred to me that I write love stories about a redhead when I'm living a love story of my own... with a redhead. It also occurred to me that, perhaps in his male brain he has decided, since I'm writing love stories about a redhead, what I'm really doing is writing about him! (Which, in a sense, maybe I am...)

Disclaimer: Love knows no boundary. (Oh, and I don't own RK.)

 **Chapter 13: A Deity's Boundary**

A scream forced its way up through her throat the way food would expel from her stomach during the first couple months of her pregnancy. It was violent and painful, and it echoed in the already harsh sound like a dying animal desperate to live. Something was burning under her skin, like a lifeform not of her body was clawing to be free. Every bone in her small frame felt like they were trying to shift, or break, and she succumbed to the torture easily as it blinded her mind to all else. All that mattered was that she eliminate the threat, and every fiber of her being was answering her wish.

Within the whirlwind of power and omnipotent wrath, one small reservation broke through and she feared what the outflow of energy would do to her baby. Her heart recoiled from the thought, but everything was past her control. Desperately she tried to rake the power back into her body, but it would no longer answer to her and instead sparked off of the tombstones like lightning; destroying all within its path. Tears overflowed from the swirling sapphire pools of her irises and her scream became a shriek of torment and tragedy. If this continued, she knew, as clearly as she knew she loved her husband, that she was going to die… and so would her child.

 _NO! Kenshin! Please!_

The omnyoji fell backwards into the tombstone of his wife and child and stared upon the woman he had mistakenly thought to use. He knew her spiritual energy was strong, but he had not thought it to be this powerful! Somewhere along the line he had miscalculated. Human women who became brides of deities were rare, but were not so rare that he was not aware of what they became. Of course it was obvious that they would be expected to be as their husbands were, but not one bride he had read about contained this much energy of their own. By taking her outside of the forest god's territory, he had thought she would be separated from whatever source of his power that she would have access to. In fact, he had felt her attempt to use it against him before he had forced her into a deep sleep. The fact that she had not used any energy of her own had misled him into believing she was helpless without her husband's protection. _I even made sure she was without that bothersome spirit blade she received from that fox!_

Like a shimmering mirage, the image of the beautiful young lady that she was blurred, and his black eyes widened to see what her true form was. Deadly and awe-inspiring, a vision of dark wings spread wide from her back. The glaring irises locked with his pulled and smashed against her pupil until they were the vertical slits of an angry beast. Even the ear-splitting screech of her voice seemed to deepen into a snarling growl, and the apparition opened its jaws wide to intimidate him with its sharp rows of teeth. It was terrifying and amazing at the same time, and he was trapped for one long moment within his own defeated fear.

Rough and strong, the stone at his back dug into his spine as if encouraging him, and he fisted his hands into the stray stalks of grass at its base. Gritting his teeth, he found his determination and remembered what and why he had fought this long. It had taken two long years for him to steal his powers from lesser yokai, and three years just to find the necessary components for the ritual that would bring back his wife and child. He could not give up now. Even if everything he had done meant the damnation of his soul.

With both arms outstretched before him, and his hands crossed, once bracing behind the other, he recited the spell he would use to bind her. All he needed was a little more time. Just enough time to finish the ritual. If he could pin her power and use it against her, then that would give him all the time he needed. As the screaming continued, and the ball of light before his palm grew, he noticed over the top of his fingertips the girl's own desperation as she cradled her bulging stomach and cried in pain. Like a feathering brush of anguish from another place and time, he wondered bitterly if that was what his wife had looked like before she had died.

The spell shot from his hands like a star through the night sky, and streaked through the short distance between them just as true as an arrow from a bow. At that same moment, however, a separate, deafening roar split the air, and the spell was knocked to the side as if a mere nuisance. With a resounding smash and thunderous rumble, the frame of a much larger and full-formed dragon landed over the top of the woman. Protectively, one of its golden claws curled completely around her body and it crouched and coiled its tail in front them to make it perfectly clear that nothing would ever reach her again.

Without taking its amber eyes from him, the deity's deep, baritone voice spoke soothingly to his wife. "Not yet, young one. You are not yet ready for your true form." Reluctantly the sparking energy calmed under the strength of his, and her hoarse voice finally quieted. "That's right, koishii. I have you. There is nothing to fear." Within the golden scales of his embrace, the omnyoji watched as the young bride's lashes fluttered and then fell closed as she slumped into her husband's side and trusted him to protect their budding family.

A multitude of emotion slammed against the man's chest, and he empathized with their position. Was that not all he had wanted?! But he could not afford to back down from his path now. He had sacrificed everything to be where he was. Even if it meant the death of a deity, even if it meant hell, he would bring about the resurrection of his wife and unborn child.

"You are very brash, human, to so openly attack my wife." The low growl was full of more danger and promise than the recent, awesome display his wife had just demonstrated. That alone spoke volumes about the type of deity that he was dealing with. Despite his own hostility, the omnyoji did not hate this god. In fact, his realm was one of the purest and richest he had come across in his travels. A small piece of him even regretted his decision to target them, but it was overshadowed by his own desire. No deity had ever helped him, and he owed nothing to this deity before him.

"I had little choice. None of the other shrine maidens were strong enough."

"Then it _was_ a test, but I doubt the strength of the shrine maiden was truly what you were after."

Cautiously, the omnyoji watched the deity's movements. "Not necessarily. What truly mattered was their deity. I had planned to skip you, because it was rumored you never kept a shrine maiden. But I had to be thorough. My family's life hung in the balance. When I first saw her, I somehow knew. Not because of her striking eyes, but because of you. How many times did you follow her back and forth down that trail? Every morning? Every night? The sheer magnitude of flowers that you decorated that path with just for her… no other deity I spied upon cared so much about the wellbeing or happiness of one lowly human." A twist of disgust betrayed his true feelings, and he clenched his jaw to stall his trembling muscles.

"You seem upset by the thought of a deity loving a human. Is that why you targeted the shrine maidens?" Kenshin's voice rumbled lower, like an earthquake in the distance. "Were you too cowardly to attack the deities that you would attack young women instead?"

"Attacking nameless deities I care nothing for would have accomplished nothing! They did not wrong me!"

"And my wife did?!" The deep voice of the deity rose abruptly in volume and blasted against him like the winds of a typhoon.

"Do not mistake my intentions, Forest God! Neither you nor your brethren, nor those shrine maidens nor your wife wronged me! That has nothing do to with my actions! The deity that wronged me has long since disappeared from this realm and died before I had the chance to get my revenge!" The liquid amber eyes of the god before him narrowed. "You said so yourself, did you not?! Once a deity loses the respect and love of his followers, his strength will diminish and he will become nothing! That deity you spoke of incited no love from those within his realm. Instead he chose to demand respect through fear and threats! He took my wife and child from me! He stole my happiness, but taught me a valuable lesson. If we are to truly be happy in this life, then we must do so by any means necessary. Even if it means the destruction of another's!"

Throwing caution to the wind, the omnyoji's arm shot upwards until it was parallel to the ground and ready to attack. It was a desperate attempt, but he knew he had little choice left to him. Even as the deity's strong claws slammed into his chest and broke his back on the tombstone behind him, he fought frantically to win; to best this deity and steal his happiness to create some of his own.

It was over quickly, and the man wondered at the strength this deity contained. For surely no mere forest deity should be so strong and so fierce. Coughing weakly at the blood gurgling in his throat, he stared with defeated eyes up at the golden dragon standing on top of him.

"You planned to use the powers that were transferred to my wife during our wedding to bring back your family." Dark lashes blinked as the voice now speaking to him sounded almost kind, but there was a note of resigned sorrow in it. "I know which ritual you thought to use. You needed to sacrifice a being that was once human and now holds the power of deity. I'm sorry, young human, but that ritual would not have resulted in the happiness you sought. What you would have brought back would not have been your wife or child. No soul that has passed into the afterlife can be brought back through the veil. Not even by the Sovereign Deity himself. Instead, you would have released a plague upon human kind, and it would have cost more than just your own happiness."

Bitter and helpless tears leaked from the corners of the man's eyes, and Kenshin felt sorrow for the pain he had endured. "I am truly sorry that your deity did not love those under his care. Even now his folly has negatively affected you and all of the lives you have touched. Which is why I should have killed him when I knew it needed to be done." Black eyes widened as far as they could, and his erratic breathing became harsh. "Please forgive this one for not having done so." Golden irises closed, and a single tear slid from the deity's eye. "You are aware, are you not? You will never see your wife or child again. You have tainted your soul, and are no longer capable of passing into the afterlife where they are. In this life or the next, you will never be together again."

A heartbroken sob spit blood from his mouth, and all of the strength left his body as he released the pent up sadness, hatred, and bitterness inside of him. Why could he have not lived under this deity's rule? Why couldn't he have been born or taken to that small village within the forest as a child? Surely his family would have been happy there. Surely his family would have loved and learned what true happiness was under the watchful eye of this benevolent being.

"Tatsuyoshi-dono. You are truly… a wonderful deity. Please do not shed… tears for an… unworthy human… like me."

Like the rasp of dry branches, the man's breath struggled in his lungs and it was easy to tell he would soon die. As a deity, Kenshin mourned the life this man had led because of the mistakes of one of his own. He could not change the past, but perhaps he could still help this human in the throes of death. "This one cannot bring back your family, but he can help you to see them again." The labored breathing hitched, and the claws pinning him down lifted to gently touch one tip to the man's forehead. "Please accept this blessing, and it will allow you to pass unhindered into the afterlife."

As warm as a summer breeze, serenity washed over the omnyoji and swept aside the pain and bitterness. Even as the last light of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, the comforting glow of the afterlife beckoned him, and he smiled to see the prize he had fought so long and hard for waiting at the gates. _Forgive me, Tatsuyoshi-dono. I should have prayed to you sooner._

Soft and tired, a sigh pushed through Kenshin's nostrils and he pulled away from the lifeless body of the man who had been his enemy. Gently his body rocked to one side with fatigue, but he easily caught himself in time to steady the still unconscious form of his wife wrapped in his tail. The sorrow still lingering around his eyes deepened into worry, and he gathered her into his arms protectively. She had used too much energy, and what was worse, they were miles from his forest. It had been wise on the man's part to take Kaoru outside of her husband's realm, because it would weaken her. Being outside of his realm also weakened Kenshin. Without access to the reserves within his forest, he was bound to the strength within his own body. Since he had been pouring most of his energy into the forest reserves specifically to supplement Kaoru and their growing baby, he had but a fraction of his own power to call upon. He needed some of that power to get them home, the rest he would give to her. A pained tremble raked through his body, and he crushed her close to his heart. "This one is sorry, koishii, but it seems… you will not be able to continue seeing him every day as you once wished."

X

When Kaoru woke five days later, she was not immediately aware of the amount of time that had passed. All that lingered as a warning was leftover fatigue, and she even ran her hand over the empty half of the futon next to her, as she did every day in search of her husband. It wasn't alarming in the least that he wasn't there, since he usually woke before she did, and she yawned before pulling that hand back to cover her mouth. Nothing hit her until she attempted to sit up. It was as her eyes crossed and the unfocused image of a large man sitting in the corner doubled that she began to remember the events leading up to her incapacitation.

When the blurred vision steadied, she gasped in surprise to find it was the Sovereign Deity himself watching over her. "Slowly, Kaoru-dono. You are still feeling the aftereffects." A sad smile pulled at his mouth and he looked away. "I told that idiot he had found an exceptional bride. To think you discovered your true form within a year… it is beyond belief." The smile disappeared and turned into a deep scowl. "He should have explained more to you sooner. Perhaps then…" A low grumble cut off his words and he stood. "You need to eat. I'll have something brought."

"W-wait!" Her voice was dry and hoarse, and she coughed weakly to free her throat of cobwebs. "Where's Kenshin?" Deep creases formed on the stern features of the Sovereign Deity, and his jaw muscles stood out harshly under his skin.

"You need to eat." Both of his large hands fisted, but the rough tone of his voice softened when he finished. "For your baby."

"But…" The door snapped shut before she could protest further, and she sat on the cushion of her futon alone and confused. Nothing but quiet surrounded her, and she rested a hand gently on the round bulge of her belly in search of some kind of company and reassurance. As if in answer, a small movement from within slid against her side, and she smiled tremulously down at her stomach. "Thanks, little one."

When the tanuki servant came in later, Kaoru learned that the Sovereign Deity had already left. As everything was set out for her to eat, however, she asked after Kenshin and found the raccoon dog to be just as reluctant to speak of the forest god as the Sovereign had been. "What is happening? Please, can't you tell me where Kenshin is?" A deep, sorrowful expression lowered the tanuki's nose to the floor, and Kaoru was surprised to see tears welling from her eyes.

"I am sorry, mistress. The master was nearly out of energy when he arrived with you in his arms. You were both gone for so long outside of the reach of the forest. You are both bound to it, and derive your strength from its power and the prayers of its people. He used everything he had left to keep you and the baby alive. They are not invulnerable, mistress. If a deity uses all of their energy then they… disappear. He said it would be either you or him… and of course he chose you."

Wide sapphire eyes stared in shock, and as everything she was told began to sink in, her head shook in desperate denial. "No. That's not true. It's not."

"Please, mistress…"

"It's not!" Struggling against her awkward body, Kaoru surged to her feet, but had to steady herself against the wall when the world swayed.

"Mistress! You're still not well!"

"Leave me!" Forcing her way out of the room, she stumbled her way through the house and to the entrance to her husband's forest. It was spring, so the trees would be green and alive. The forest sprites would be hard at work tending to the flora and fauna. Kenshin himself would be meticulously searching for any sign of taint and would assist with the growth of new life. He was their protector, their deity, and her reason for living.

With all the expectance of her young heart, she knew once that door opened she would see that forest she had always loved; since the time she was a child to the day she became the unofficial shrine maiden. The trail she used to traverse everyday would be lined with flowers, and the birds would tweet and sing at her in welcome. This time, however, when the door slid aside her searching blue eyes was met by a sea of brown leaves, a deathly silence, and not a single live petal.

A broken sob tore from the very core of her being, and she fell to her knees against the door jam. "Mistress!"

 _No. Please, no._ Thick tears burned her eyes, and she crumpled to the floor in grief. "NO!"

x

A/N: So... I didn't really feel comfortable in this story tying Kenshin and Tomoe's backstory together in any way due to Akira being the one that survived. I really just couldn't imagine Kenshin's character here doing what I made happen to her. (Or really ever, lol.) I liked being able to keep Kenshin as a very benevolent deity that even showed concern and compassion for someone he considered an enemy. Unfortunately, it took a very large toll and now Kaoru is left to deal with the aftermath. There is only one more chapter to go, and I hope you're still willing to read it! Please leave a review, and hope to see you soon!

On a side note, I've gotten really interested in writing on a new story! Technically, it's a story that I've had buried in the back of my mind for years... like ten. (Agh! Don't judge!) It's been very hard for me to imagine it the way that I want due to the way I want to develop the characters. Now that I feel like my life is really stable, I think I've been able to imagine it more freely without feeling like I'm reflecting my own life onto it. I'm really glad that I've gotten interested in it, and have been able to map out the entire plot line, because I've missed this feeling of excitement. XD


	14. Offerings to the Forest God

Thank you for the wonderful reviews and for taking this journey with me. :)

Disclaimer: Even though the characters are not mine, and were a little ooc, I hope you enjoyed.

 **Chapter 14: Offerings to the Forest God**

It was another four days before Kaoru had the strength to leave their room again. She ate, because she knew her baby needed it, and she slept because she dreamed of Kenshin. Even then, she only left because the aches that began to plague her warned that inactivity would be unhealthy for her still growing child. So she wandered, out into the dying forest and around the still waters of the lake. Hardly anything stirred, and the stillness reeked of death. It was not the same rotten sickness that had accompanied the taint left by the omnyoji. This time it was the simple, dry death of time. All of the energy had been sucked from the forest in order to spare her life and the life of her child. Which meant she now carried all of Kenshin's life within her.

Painful tears prickled at her dry, red eyes and she stopped to rest on a fallen tree. She was too worn to sob anymore and her tears trickled out sporadically, but they would not stop, as if they were determined to suck her dry until she was a brittle husk like the rest of the forest around her. A quiet sniff tried to retain some of the liquid, and she rested a hand idly on her stomach as she stared at the brown grass at her feet. Physically and emotionally exhausted, she watched the little brown swallow that landed in the bed of leaves for quite some time before she actually heard its sweet voice sing.

The sting of dead air hurt her lungs when she wheezed in a shocked breath, but her breaths became faster despite the pain as she remembered a time before. When she had first moved there and she had run deep into the forest to cry. She had begged the forest deity to take away her grief then, and he had sent birds to her to sing and make her smile. _Oh Kenshin._

Her bottom lip trembled as she fought her emotions, and she stood to glance around her. Then, just as now, she saw no one and her heart sank in resignation. It wasn't the same. Before she could not see him because she did not have enough spiritual energy. That was not the case this time, because it was he that did not have the spiritual energy. The bird continued to sing and hop at her feet, but she couldn't watch it any longer. Knowing the gift was not from him made it all the more painful.

An aimless path through the woods killed most of the day, and her heart was so bruised and numb that she barely saw the intermittent buds of wildflowers she chanced across. Their image burned into her mind without making an immediate impression, and so it would be much later before she actually understood the gravity of what their presence might have meant.

When she finally wandered her way back to the shrine, she stopped within the tree line to watch as the young orphan boy Yahiko went about his duties as if it were any other day. A deep crease formed along her brow line and her first reaction was anger. Did he not see the forest? What was the point?! Everything was dead and so was their deity! Shame pierced her heart a second after the thought was born and she leaned into the tree beside her for support. What about the villagers, anyway? Kaoru had not given one thought to how they were reacting to this change in their deity. Should she tell them? Would they despair? Would it be kinder not to say, or would they think that he had abandoned them? It was her fault that the forest was now like this. She should claim responsibility, not allow him to take the fall. But… what did she truly know about being a deity. She had only married one. Kenshin had been born for this.

The door to the shrine slid aside and, despite herself, her heart leapt. Kenshin was not as big as the man who stepped through, however, and she cursed herself as a fool when she recognized the tall deity Kenshin had been friends with. His mahogany eyes found her almost instantly, and she sniffled before pushing away from the tree to meet him halfway. A kind smile pulled at his features as he came closer, and he helpfully assisted her the rest of the way to the shrine so that she could rest. For some reason, his kindness made her feel horrible.

For a while he seemed content to make small talk, but it soon became obvious that he was there for a reason. When Kaoru called him out on it he sighed and a rueful grin tugged sadly at one side of his mouth. "Ken-man loved this forest. For as long as I can remember. It was a secret haven he kept. A place he could go to escape his father." Dark brown eyes glanced at her, and his features became a little more serious. "You know, right? Who his dad is?" Kaoru's expression tightened around the eyes painfully and she looked away. "He was supposed to have taken over the duties of the Sovereign Deity a long time ago, but… he fell in love with this place, so he refused. They fought over it for years." A short laugh pushed from his gut. "It got kinda ugly, but his dad finally let him off the hook after he made him promise…" Sano sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "If Kenshin had a kid… then he would take over in his place. That was the deal."

Kaoru's eyes widened but her body had stiffened, so she was unable to look over at the deity beside her. "What… are you saying?"

"Look, missy, this ain't right, and I know it, but… I gotta do what I'm told, see. Hiko-dono wants you to leave this place and come live with him. He'll take care of you, and the kid. He'll teach you how to use your powers and plans on giving you the forest once he thinks you're ready. The kid will stay with him of course, and there's no telling what this place will look like when you get back, but…"

"But what?" Ice filled her voice, and she finally faced him with all the fire in her eyes. "But that's just the way it is? He's just going to take my child away from me? Just like that? The only part of my husband I have left, and he's just going to rip it from me?!"

"Now calm down, missy."

"I will not! I will not allow him to just take my baby like it's a matter of course! And I sure as hell will not abandon this forest that my husband loved so much!" She was on her feet without knowing it, and the taller deity was backing cautiously away from her. "Get out! Get out of my sight! Run back to you master and tell him I don't need his help!"

"Be reasonable…"

"Get out!" The scream echoed between the empty trees, but despite her anger something unexpected happened that made her blink. Sano was tripping all over himself to keep distance between them, but it was no trip that sent him flying through the door, and it was no gust of wind that slammed the door shut after him. A quick shaky breath pulled into her lungs and she stood frozen in place as she tried to make sense of the scene that had just played out. Inside, her mind saw with intense clarity that bird singing for her so sweetly, and the rather wilted flowers trying so desperately to be beautiful. _"From now on, you will always be able to see me. Unless…"_

Bidden from the depths of her memory, Kaoru heard Obaasan warning her that deities did not have a limitless amount of power to draw from. They could tire just as a human could and fall ill, but their illnesses were far different than a human's and required a much different remedy to cure. Quickly her eyes flew to the young boy cleaning the shrine grounds. He had witnessed the door slamming shut as well, and was staring with wide-opened eyes and the broom frozen in his hands. Kaoru was no longer a shrine maiden that was in a position to assist her deity as a human, but she would still do whatever she could to help her husband as his wife.

"Yahiko-chan." With all the softness she could muster, Kaoru called out to the orphan boy. She had not shown herself to anyone since her wedding, but she hoped they would still remember and trust her. Black eyes swung from the door to her and widened impossibly further. Trying out a tremulous smile, she placed a hand along one of the posts for support and beckoned him to her. "Will you please help this one, Yahiko-chan?" In the forefront of her mind she knew that she could no longer interact with the villagers as the human she had once been. So she mimicked the only example she had to draw from and spoke as Kenshin had always spoken to her.

"I'm not little." The affronted declaration caused her eyebrows to lift into her bangs, and her smile became genuine as she giggled.

"Of course you are not, Yahiko-kun. Please forgive this one for misspeaking."

Suspiciously, the young boy frowned and held the broom almost defensively. "Hey, how come you know my name? And where did you come from?"

The smile faded from her mouth, and she looked away sadly. "It would be horrible of this one if she did not know the name of the one who tends her husband's shrine." Within her heart, the familiar words throbbed painfully. Yahiko, who suddenly seemed to understand who he was speaking to, turned sheet white and dropped the broom completely. "Seiryu-dono!" Both of his knees hit the ground, and he bowed so low his forehead was smashed into the dirt. "I'm sorry. Y-you can call me whatever you want! And of course I'll need to be punished for being rude."

"There is no need for that, Yahiko-kun. Please, this one only needs a favor." Just barely his eyes peeked up at her through his unruly hair, and he nodded eagerly. "I… cannot get around as easily anymore." She indicated her stomach, and bit her lip over the slip in her speech. All of the walking she had already done had worn her out. "Will you please fetch Obaasan? This one needs to speak with her urgently."

He jumped up so suddenly that she flinched and he took off running back toward the village. "I'll get her right away!"

It took slightly longer for them to return, but Obaasan was getting along in years. Despite her own aches and pains, however, Obaasan hurried forward once they were visible and cupped Kaoru's face in both hands. She was careful, though, about how she addressed her in front of the boy. "What is it, child? What do you need?" Her old eyes glanced out at the dying forest, and it seemed she knew before Kaoru even had to say.

"He's gone, Obaasan." The words choked in her throat, and tears slipped once more down her face. "And it's my fault." Everything she knew about the omnyoji was passed along to the old woman, and she explained what the tanuki had told to her upon waking. "He used all of his energy to save us, and it's killing the forest he loved so much. I know this is unfair, but is there any way that the villagers can send more offerings?" Yahiko seemed confused, but Obaasan frowned.

"Are you running out of strength yourself?"

A slow shake of her head disagreed. "Not for me, Obaasan. I can't give to the forest yet. K… Tatsuyoshi-dono made sure that all of my energy goes only to our child. It's just… I don't think he's truly gone. At least… not yet. There are still small pockets of life within the forest, but if they all die then it'll be over. Please Obaasan. If there is anything that can be done to save him…"

The old woman smiled kindly and patted her on the head as she used to when she was still a child. "I shall try, but the village has suffered from this too. I don't know what they will be able to spare."

"I understand."

X

Two days later Kaoru sat within the awning of the shrine and leaned despondently against the wall behind her. A small ache was beginning to bloom low in her back, but she ignored it as she stared sightlessly out into the depressing sight of the forest. It was high noon, and Yahiko had not shown, just as he had not shown the day before. It seemed the villagers were unable to spare what little food they had left to survive on, and while the sinking pit of anguish in her gut grew with the knowledge, she could not blame them. They had their own families to think of first and foremost. Kenshin would have wanted it that way.

A small flurry of feathers swooped down below the awning and perched at her feet. It was a tiny yellow singing bird that chirped sweetly at her, and the tears pooled so quickly in her eyes that she began to sob before she could stop it. Even on the verge of death, Kenshin tried to make her happy and show her love. He was truly a beautiful dragon deity.

"Kaoru-dono." The deep voice came abruptly from her left and a gentle hand appeared on her slumped shoulders. Gasping and fighting her tears, she sat up but jerked away. She recognized the voice and did not wish to be in his presence. "You have grieved enough. I will not steal your child from you, nor will I abandon this forest that he loved. If you stay bound to it as you are… you will only end up following him and taking your child with you."

"Please leave me alone." The Sovereign Deity tried again to talk her into leaving, as he had the day before, but she refused to listen. There was a stubbornness in her that reminded him of his son, and while he admired it, it also frustrated him. If she did not agree to leave by her own volition within the next three days, then he would force her to leave by his. There would be little choice left to him at that point.

That frustration huffed from his nose as he stood to leave, but noise from the trail to the village caught his attention. From out of the trees came a long line of people pulling carts or leading pack animals. Some were helping others with large banners and pieces of wood, while the children hefted heavy baskets between them. Not one soul from the village was not in attendance as they all spilled out into the shrine grounds and began building small structures like an army of ants. Paper lanterns were strung together and hung from the awnings of small stalls and stands, and the banners were hung from tree branches and off the shrine buildings. Make-shift stoves were lit and the smell of cooking food filled the air, and laughter from the children sprang forth as they chased each other in festival masks. Even a small stage had been erected at one end for a play to be held.

The bird at her feet chirped and seemed interested in the to-do. With two small beats of its wings it took off toward the stalls and perched on one to view the wares. Afraid the small creature might be shooed away, Kaoru wrestled her growing stomach to get to her feet. She was immediately assisted by the silent Sovereign Deity beside her. It was easy to tell that he was stunned by the expression on his face. Instead of hording what little food they had leftover from winter to make it through the summer, now that their crops were wilting, the villagers had decided to throw a festival in their deity's honor. It clearly revealed how much of himself the deity had given to those under his care, and how much they loved him in return.

With a gentle smile, his hand once more touched her lightly between the shoulder blades. A small surge of power swept over her and she blinked at him before glancing down at herself. Clothes suitable to her station now covered her, and even her hair had been set by intricate kanzashi. In a motion much more regal than she had planned, she bowed her head in thanks and then turned towards the festival. Sweetly she whistled for the bird, who had just been noticed by one of the villagers, and it returned to her offered hand without hesitation. She too stopped before the stall, and the man behind the tabletop seemed awe-stricken before he quickly smiled in welcome.

"Please allow this little one to accept a piece of your offering." The bird tweeted and hopped from her hand to the wooden top. "O-of course, Seiryu-dono!"

"Seiryu-dono!" The children latched themselves to her kimono and stared up at her from out of the eyeholes in their masks, and she smiled at them kindly as she tried again to fight her tears. From across the clearing, however, something new caught her attention, and she looked up to find a deer had emerged from the woods. It was hesitant, but came closer once it caught site of her. Drawn by the promise of food, it deterred to another stall and sniffed at the vendor behind it. The woman seemed nervous at first, but offered with a crooked smile an apple for the deer to eat. From behind her she heard a more shocking encounter, and turned to find a snake had slithered its way up to a stall to sniff at the cooking meat.

"Not one of them hesitated, Seiryu-dono." Yahiko pulled one of the younger kids off of her and grinned proudly. "Besides, it seems to be quite a hit." Animals of all different kinds were finding their way to the multitude of stalls to accept the offerings. From foxes, to bears, to wolves and shrews, not one animal acted aggressive, towards each other or the humans. It was not until late in the afternoon, however, that the forest sprites appeared, and they earned the most surprising reaction of all. The children, especially, enjoyed playing with them.

As night took over, other spirits not of the forest came to attend the Forest God's Festival, and some even took over management of the stalls to allow the humans a break. The play was a big hit, and Kaoru laughed freely for the first time in days as she sat under the awning of the shrine on a mound of cushions. The festival continued on for an entire week, and the longer Kaoru sat looking out upon the festivities, the more change she noticed about the forest. Greenness was returning to the trees. Life was blossoming upon the floor, and slowly, little by little, the smell of decay diminished. Obaasan had even mentioned that the crops were beginning to flourish once more.

And on the seventh night, it happened. The forest sprites were dancing with the children and the paper lanterns were glowing down the path of the stalls. Kaoru was smiling at the life and love of those around her when she felt the brush of fingers against her cheek. Startled, she turned to her right and he smiled as if pleased that her blue eyes were once more aimed in his direction. She didn't know if he was immediately aware that she could see him, but her tears must have given her away. If not them, then the way she threw herself into his arms probably confirmed it.

"I can see you!" The strong arms she had missed pulled her tight against his chest and she sobbed in joy. "You never left, right? You were always right here."

"This one would never leave you, that he would not." Careful strokes of his hand against the back of her head reassured her that he was indeed with her, and she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke next. "It pleases this one greatly that his wife has such amazing eyes, that it does. This one is quite lucky indeed."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one. You saved me at the cost of yourself." She sniffled, but their moment was interrupted by the curious whispers of those around them. Sapphire eyes blinked as they stared at her, and she realized that no one else could yet see the Forest Deity. "Is it not enough, Kenshin? Are you still weak?" The concern when she looked up at him made his smile soften, and his fingers gently caressed the skin below one eye.

"It is enough for you to see me, but your eyes are much more perceptive than most. It will take time…"

"Let me contribute to the offerings. The villagers have already given so much." One of her hands slid from his neck and braced over his heart. She didn't know how to give her own power to the forest yet, as that was something her husband had abstained from telling her since she became pregnant so quickly. At that moment, however, she could feel exactly what needed to be done, and she was overflowing with so much power. Even the child within her glowed warm in agreement. Kenshin was not so open to the suggestion, but was given little choice when the energy naturally surged from her hand straight into his body.

"Kaoru, you mustn't…"

"Tatsuyoshi-dono!" The reaction was instantaneous, and all of the villagers cheered as their deity became visible. The few spirits that were foreign to the forest but friends to the deity cheered with them. The forest sprites, happy to see the return of their master, flitted around them and pulled at their clothes in animated excitement. Kenshin, however, was too preoccupied with confirming that his wife was fine to notice their devotion. Both of his hands cradled her face and he stared into her bright blue irises for several long seconds before he was convinced she had not harmed herself or their child by giving what she had. There was nothing but love and relief in her eyes, however, and not one ounce of weariness on her features. Finally he smiled and pulled her close against his chest to direct his attention on those under his care. All of them had given without hesitation and with such dedication, but without her he might have never been found, and might have even been forgotten.

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono. This one will gratefully accept your offering… and continually return it, until the very end."

From then on a festival was held at the shrine every spring, and without fail the beautiful dragon deity and his azure dragon bride attended to bless those under their care. On a lucky year, the new Sovereign Deity, child of the two, would appear to take part in the festivities himself. It was on those years in particular that the forest flourished with abundant life and beauty. The forest was at its most exquisite, however, each year on a certain mid-summer night to commemorate the day when the Forest Deity had accepted his most prized offering, and the villagers never forgot the anniversary of their deity's wedding to one of their own.

X

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story all the way to the end. :) I certainly enjoyed writing it, even though and probably because, it was a lot shorter than most of my other stories. It was a lot gentler too, which was kind of refreshing for me. If you would like, please leave me one last review to let me know if you liked it.

Though I am rather diligently writing on this new story that has caught my interest, I plan to finish Castle Ruins prior to posting on any new stories. It really only has a couple of chapters left, and I'm rather annoyed with myself for not having posted anything on it for an entire year! This final confrontation is really stumping me, though. Nevertheless, I will work through this and finish the story! :) Thank you all for being such amazing and loyal readers!


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